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18 August 2023
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Major wildfires burn in Spain’s Canary Island of Tenerife, thousands evacuated
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Major wildfires were burning in Greece and on one of Spain’s Canary Islands off the northwest coast of Africa with hot, dry and windy conditions hampering the efforts of hundreds of fire fighters battling the fires, two of which have been burning for several days.
The fire started late Tuesday, 15 August 2023, in the north of the island and has forced authorities in eight municipalities to order the evacuation of more than 4 500 people and the confinement of thousands more. Confinement means residents are strongly advised to stay indoors with windows closed.
The fire is located in a steep and craggy mountain area with pine trees, with several municipalities on its flanks, including El Rosario, Arafo and Candelaria to the east and La Orotava to the west. Access for fire fighters is extremely difficult.
Candelaria mayor María Concepción Brito Núñez told Spanish National Television that fire fighters complained that the water being dumped on the flames was evaporating before hitting the ground because of the high temperatures.
The army’s Military Emergency Unit said that dense clouds of smoke were impairing visibility for fire fighters and preventing many water-carrying aircraft from getting close.
European Union officials have blamed climate change for the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires in Europe, noting that 2022 was the second-worst year for wildfire damage on record after 2017.
In Greece, authorities ordered the evacuation of two villages in the central Viotia region, about 100 kilometres northwest of Athens, after a forest fire broke out Monday morning. The coast guard put two patrol boats and several fishing boats and private vessels on standby in case an evacuation by sea was necessary.
Authorities said the body of a man was recovered from a sheep pen in the area under evacuation, with local media reporting the man apparently died of smoke inhalation while trying to save his livestock.
In the northeast of the country near the border with Turkey, strong winds rekindled flames on several fronts in a major wildfire burning for a third day across forests and farmland near the town of Alexandroupolis.
Several homes were destroyed over the weekend. Thirteen villages were evacuated, while more than 200 fire fighters, assisted by 16 water-dropping aircraft and seven helicopters, volunteers and the armed forces were battling the fire, government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said.
Cyprus was sending two fire fighting aircraft to help tackle the Alexandroupolis blaze, including four crew and five ground support staff.
With gale-force winds blowing in several parts of the country, authorities set the fire risk level in several regions, including that of the Greek capital, to “extreme.” “The (fire fighting) system is on alert, and we must be too. The risk of wildfires remains high,” Marinakis said.
Greece suffers destructive wildfires every summer, which officials say have been exacerbated by climate change.
The deadliest Greek wildfire on record killed 104 people in 2018, in a seaside resort near Athens that residents had not been warned to evacuate. Since then, authorities have erred on the side of caution, issuing swift mass evacuation orders whenever inhabited areas are under threat.
Last month a wildfire on the resort island of Rhodes forced the evacuation of some 20 000 tourists. Days later, two air force pilots were killed when their water-dropping plane crashed while diving low to tackle a blaze on the island of Evia. Another three wildfire-related deaths have been recorded this summer.
In Spain’s Canary Islands, a wildfire that police say was started deliberately last Tuesday on Tenerife continued to burn out of control, although the worst seemed to have passed. More than 12 000 people have been evacuated from their homes and nearly 13 000 hectares of pine forest and scrubland have burned.
Acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was to visit the area Monday to review the damage. Canary Island regional President Fernando Clavijo told Spain’s Cadena SER radio “the worst is over,” adding that the hundreds of fire fighters deployed had made some progress for the second night in a row.
The fire in the northeast of the island is not near any of the islands’ main tourist areas. The fire has come close to some 10 municipalities but there has been no injuries or burned homes so far.
In Portugal and Italy, two other southern European countries often plagued by wildfires in the summer months, temperatures were predicted to soar this week.
Italian authorities issued heat warnings for eight cities from Bolzano in the north to Rome in central Italy on Monday as temperatures were forecast to hit 38 degrees Celsius. Storm warnings were in effect in the southern regions of Calabria, Basilicata and Sicily.
In Portugal, temperatures were forecast to reach 44 degrees Celsius in some southern parts of the country.
Sources: Associated Press, Al Jazeera
The fire started late Tuesday, 15 August 2023, in the north of the island and has forced authorities in eight municipalities to order the evacuation of more than 4 500 people and the confinement of thousands more. Confinement means residents are strongly advised to stay indoors with windows closed.
The fire is located in a steep and craggy mountain area with pine trees, with several municipalities on its flanks, including El Rosario, Arafo and Candelaria to the east and La Orotava to the west. Access for fire fighters is extremely difficult.
Candelaria mayor María Concepción Brito Núñez told Spanish National Television that fire fighters complained that the water being dumped on the flames was evaporating before hitting the ground because of the high temperatures.
The army’s Military Emergency Unit said that dense clouds of smoke were impairing visibility for fire fighters and preventing many water-carrying aircraft from getting close.
European Union officials have blamed climate change for the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires in Europe, noting that 2022 was the second-worst year for wildfire damage on record after 2017.
In Greece, authorities ordered the evacuation of two villages in the central Viotia region, about 100 kilometres northwest of Athens, after a forest fire broke out Monday morning. The coast guard put two patrol boats and several fishing boats and private vessels on standby in case an evacuation by sea was necessary.
Authorities said the body of a man was recovered from a sheep pen in the area under evacuation, with local media reporting the man apparently died of smoke inhalation while trying to save his livestock.
In the northeast of the country near the border with Turkey, strong winds rekindled flames on several fronts in a major wildfire burning for a third day across forests and farmland near the town of Alexandroupolis.
Several homes were destroyed over the weekend. Thirteen villages were evacuated, while more than 200 fire fighters, assisted by 16 water-dropping aircraft and seven helicopters, volunteers and the armed forces were battling the fire, government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said.
Cyprus was sending two fire fighting aircraft to help tackle the Alexandroupolis blaze, including four crew and five ground support staff.
With gale-force winds blowing in several parts of the country, authorities set the fire risk level in several regions, including that of the Greek capital, to “extreme.” “The (fire fighting) system is on alert, and we must be too. The risk of wildfires remains high,” Marinakis said.
Greece suffers destructive wildfires every summer, which officials say have been exacerbated by climate change.
The deadliest Greek wildfire on record killed 104 people in 2018, in a seaside resort near Athens that residents had not been warned to evacuate. Since then, authorities have erred on the side of caution, issuing swift mass evacuation orders whenever inhabited areas are under threat.
Last month a wildfire on the resort island of Rhodes forced the evacuation of some 20 000 tourists. Days later, two air force pilots were killed when their water-dropping plane crashed while diving low to tackle a blaze on the island of Evia. Another three wildfire-related deaths have been recorded this summer.
In Spain’s Canary Islands, a wildfire that police say was started deliberately last Tuesday on Tenerife continued to burn out of control, although the worst seemed to have passed. More than 12 000 people have been evacuated from their homes and nearly 13 000 hectares of pine forest and scrubland have burned.
Acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was to visit the area Monday to review the damage. Canary Island regional President Fernando Clavijo told Spain’s Cadena SER radio “the worst is over,” adding that the hundreds of fire fighters deployed had made some progress for the second night in a row.
The fire in the northeast of the island is not near any of the islands’ main tourist areas. The fire has come close to some 10 municipalities but there has been no injuries or burned homes so far.
In Portugal and Italy, two other southern European countries often plagued by wildfires in the summer months, temperatures were predicted to soar this week.
Italian authorities issued heat warnings for eight cities from Bolzano in the north to Rome in central Italy on Monday as temperatures were forecast to hit 38 degrees Celsius. Storm warnings were in effect in the southern regions of Calabria, Basilicata and Sicily.
In Portugal, temperatures were forecast to reach 44 degrees Celsius in some southern parts of the country.
Sources: Associated Press, Al Jazeera
