(Bloomberg) -- Greek authorities ordered the evacuation of an Aegean island village after another wildfire flared.
Firefighters battled to contain dozens of blazes as temperatures climbed to 42C (108F) on parts of the mainland. Residents of Chrousa on the island of Syros were told to evacuate, while another fire was burning in a forest on the island of Evia. Most of Greece will be on high or very high fire alert on Wednesday.
Climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of heat waves, triggering extreme weather events from India and China to the US and Saudi Arabia. In Europe, Greece and the Balkans have been hardest hit so far this summer, but a blast of warm Saharan air will also extend over southern Italy in the coming days.
The Italian Ministry of Health warned of “emergency” heat wave conditions in 13 cities, including Rome, Florence and Bologna, on Wednesday. The capital is forecast to reach 40C on Wednesday, near to its all-time record.
In North Macedonia, the government declared a 30-day state of crisis on Sunday to help authorities cope with the heat wave and wildfires. The European Union is providing four helicopters and three planes to assist in controlling the blazes.
Several municipalities in Bulgaria are in a state of emergency, with the army drafted in to help fight fires.
In Romania’s capital Bucharest, three major hospitals suffered hour-long blackouts as the city’s energy grid was overwhelmed by cooling demand. The country has been under a Code Red for extreme heat for almost five days.
--With assistance from Irina Vilcu and Alberto Brambilla.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
