Severe wildfires in Greece, North Macedonia, Croatia and Spain after weeks of hot and dry weather
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North Macedonia and the island of Evia in Greece has had difficult days this week. Croatia reported its toughest day for firefighters on Wednesday and hundreds of fires are burning in Spain.
SPAIN: Hundreds of firefighters, supported by waterbomber planes, have been deployed to tackle two large, severe wildfires in eastern Spain that have been burning since Tuesday. The country remains on high alert for fires due to the ongoing heatwave, the news site Almayadeen.net reports.
As also reported by Reuters, hundreds of firefighters, supported by waterbomber aircraft, have been working to contain two wildfires that have been burning since Tuesday in eastern Spain.
Much of the country is under a red alert for heat and fires.
In the eastern Valencia region, a fire near Benasau prompted emergency services to evacuate several hundred villagers from their homes as a precaution.
Another wildfire in the province of Cuenca, further inland, has burned over 1,500 hectares of vegetation since Tuesday. Both fires have been classified as severe.
AEMET, Spain's weather forecaster, predicted maximum temperatures of 43-44°C / 111 F in various regions for Wednesday, marking the peak of the heatwave. Meanwhile, the interior minister warned of an extreme risk of wildfires igniting across the nation.
The Barcelona-Fabra observatory in Catalonia set a new record high temperature of 40°C / 104 F on Tuesday, surpassing the previous record of 39.8°C set in July 1982.
CROATIA: The Balkan countries are struggling with wildfires fuelled by high temperatures, strong winds, and a prolonged drought, according to an ABC News report on Wednesday. Firefighters in Croatia reported their toughest day of the season so far, while the Republic of North Macedonia indicated it might seek assistance from NATO.
Sky News reported on Thursday that firefighters are currently dealing with over 100 fires in Croatia. Fires have broken out along the Dalmatian coast of Croatia, near the tourist towns of Podgora and Tucepi.
According to ABC News, Croatia’s Firefighters’ Association reported that the past 24 hours involved responding to over 100 fires with the efforts of more than 1,000 firefighters and 20 firefighting planes.
In North Macedonia, approximately 66 wildfires broke out in the same period.
The most serious incident in Croatia from Tuesday night to Wednesday occurred near the southern coastal town of Tucepi, where one firefighter was injured. Strong winds throughout the night made it challenging to control the extensive blaze, which stretched for several kilometers.
GREECE & BALCANS: Firefighters in North Macedonia battled a dozen wildfires, fanned by heavy winds, for a third consecutive day on Wednesday, Reuters reports.
Officials reported that hot temperatures and dry weather also fuelled smaller fires across Greece and the Balkans.
More than 200 firefighters, supported by helicopters and water-carrying planes, managed to contain a wildfire on Greece's second-largest island, Evia. The fire brigade reported that authorities had ordered the evacuation of villages, as reported by Yahoo News.
The news site Ekathimerini.com reports that four settlements were evacuated on Evia this week. A wildfire broke out in the Pissona area on Wednesday, prompting authorities to order the evacuation.
Approximately 120 firefighters, along with 40 fire trucks, 11 planes, and 6 helicopters, have reportdly been deployed to combat the fire. The smoke has also obscured the sky over Athens.
The Fire Service announced that evacuations were ordered in four mountainous areas in the south of Evia Island, which is about 90 kilometers (55 miles) northeast of Athens.
Several hundred firefighters and volunteers were deployed to address the situation, according to AP News.
Goran Stojanovski from North Macedonia's Center for Crisis Management said to the press that one fire was spreading in the municipality of Negrevo near the Bulgarian border, and another was burning around Kumanovo near Serbia.
This week, a series of fires ignited further north across the Balkans after weeks of heat and little rain. One elderly man was killed earlier in the week and several dozens of homes burned.
Wildfires in Greece have become more frequent in recent years due to increasingly hot, dry summers that scientists attribute to climate change. According to fire brigade data, over 8,000 fires broke out last year.
Editorial Note:
Macedonia is, according to Britannica.com, a region in the south-central Balkans that comprises north-central Greece, southwestern Bulgaria, and the independent Republic of North Macedonia.
The area referred to in this article is the independent country of North Macedonia.