Greece Fights Deadly Fire on Aegean Island as Temperatures Soar

Greece is fighting a deadly fire on the island of Lesvos, as temperatures in some parts of the country exceed 40C (104F).

A person died in a burned-out car on Lesvos, where authorities are investigating whether the vehicle was scorched by a wildfire, or if it was involved in an accident that triggered the blaze.

Elsewhere, almost 100 firefighters — supported by 11 planes and five helicopters — are trying to contain a forest blaze in Korinthia, a region in the northeast of Peloponnese. Authorities are also battling a fire in Evros, a region that’s on very high alert for Friday.

Wildfires have been a risk across Greece and other parts of the Mediterranean for decades, but global warming is turbo-charging the threat they pose. Climate change is putting 2024 on track to be the world’s hottest year on record, intensifying extreme weather events such storms, floods and fires.

Today’s #EFFIS Fire Danger Forecast🔥 shows “Very High” to “Extreme” Danger levels in large areas of several countries surrounding the #Mediterranean Sea and the #BlackSea

⚫️“Very Extreme” Danger levels are present in areas of 🇪🇸🇮🇹🇬🇷🇧🇬🇹🇷🇱🇾🇲🇦🇩🇿🇹🇳
More athttps://t.co/XL7jHVJ8Mv pic.twitter.com/yZ1OXEyrpJ
— Copernicus EMS (@CopernicusEMS) July 11, 2024

Greek authorities have placed several regions of the country on high fire alert, with hundreds of outbreaks since early June destroying properties and businesses.

Under a European Union initiative, Greece has also dispatched planes to help fight fires in Albania.

Albanian Defense Minister Niko Peleshi reported 23 fires in the past 24 hours, but just two remain active in the south of the country.

Daily map: Wildfires in Albania and the #EUCivilProtection Mechanism response. 🇦🇱🇬🇷🇪🇺 ↓ pic.twitter.com/HjpUXxooWN
— EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid 🇪🇺 (@eu_echo) July 10, 2024

Photograph: Firefighters work to extinguish a wildfire near Stamata, Greece on June 30, 2024; photo credit: Nick Paleologos/Bloomberg