Wildfires: Burnt area of Europe more than double a two-decade average
By the Climate Centre
Wildfires that began Wednesday in the Greek town of Oropos, close to Athens, and on the island of Thassos are now largely under control, the authorities said yesterday.
Scores of Hellenic Red Cross volunteers and staff have been assisting in multiple locations, including actual firefighting (photo), with local experts citing temperatures rising to well above 40°C and prolonged drought as key drivers of the increased frequency and intensity of this summer’s fires.
The Acropolis had to be partly closed to visitors at one point because of the 40°C-plus heat.
On Thassos, 55 firefighters, supported by local volunteers, vehicles and equipment, were deployed in the firefighting effort, the HRC said.
Greece has this week also been battling severe wildfires on the islands of Chios and Crete, prompting mass evacuations and emergency response.
The fire on Chios burned for several days on several fronts, causing widespread damage and reducing an estimated 25 square kilometres of forest and farmland to ash; at least 16 villages had to be evacuated.
The wildfire near the city of Ierapetra on Crete forced evacuations from villages and tourist resorts along the south-east coast of the island.
The National Society said 18,000 people had been affected nationwide, but no deaths have been reported.
‘A new normal of altered lives, landscapes, economies in the Mediterranean basin’
As of Tuesday, data from the European Forest Fire Information System shows that just over 200,000 hectares of land has burned across the European Union since the beginning of the year – or more than twice the 2006–24 average.
North Africa, the Middle East and Turkey have also been affected by fires.
A wildfire on the edge of Marseille, now said by the authorities to be “in regression”, grounded all flights to and from the city’s airport and halted train traffic in most of the surrounding area earlier this week.
In the UK, which is experiencing its third heatwave of the year, wildfire warnings are in place in Scotland and Northern Ireland and the London Fire Brigade says the risk of wildfires in the city is “severe” and amber heat alerts have been issued for parts of England.
The IFRC network quickly mobilized to support emergency responders and vulnerable communities, with its Europe region office speaking of “an urgent need to shift from reactive response to proactive preparedness.”
The entire Mediterranean region has become a “wildfire hotspot”, European Commission scientists have said, and the “fire risk is expected to further increase due to climate change. Europe’s wildfire season will increasingly be characterised by massive fires that claim lives and burn areas requiring longer recovery periods”.
France 24 TV, reporting reporting on “aggressive, recurring fires” in among others France, Greece, Syria and Turkey, Wednesday suggested “a new normal of altered lives, landscapes and economies in the Mediterranean basin”.
Hellenic Red Cross volunteers and staff have been assisting in multiple locations, including actual firefighting, with temperatures rising well above 40°C and prolonged drought cited as key drivers of this summer’s fires. (Photo: HRC via IFRC Europe region)