Wildfire threatens the main Greek city while the heat wave squeezes Europe

A major city in Western Greece is threatened by the rapidly moving fires, as extreme heat and high winds break through in much of Southern Europe.

The sowing winds pushed flames on the outskirts of Patras, the third largest city of the country with a population of about 200,000, forcing evacuation, including a children’s hospital, and sending smoke flows to the silhouette.

Nearly 10,000 hectares have burned in the surrounding area of Achaya in two days.

Whole villages are emptied, homes and businesses have been destroyed and hundreds of vehicles have been burned, including more than 500 vehicles in a customs yard.

The streets of Patras were empty on Wednesday, except for some residents who were silent as the fires descended from the surrounding mountains.

Strong and burning winds swelled as temperatures hit 38C, and smoke packed the city, sending some to a hospital with difficulty breathing.

Authorities ordered the residents of the nearby town of 7,700 people to evacuate on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, fresh signals were issued for two villages.

Elsewhere in Greece, dozens of people were rescued from the coastal security routes as fires headed for the beaches of the Zante and Chios Islands.

Greece has asked EU water bombers to strengthen over 4,800 firefighters who are dealing with over 20 wild fires currently raging across the country.

The crisis comes as a blanket of the heat wave in southern Europe, igniting flames from Portugal to the Balkans.

In Spain, a civilian and volunteer firefighter were killed Wednesday during the tenth consecutive day on the Extreme Heat, which reached its peak in the 45C the previous day.

The state agency has warned that almost all of Spain is at the ultimate risk of the extreme or with a large fire. The heat wave is expected to continue until Monday, which makes it one of the longest in the record.

The fires caused a political dispute after the Minister of Transport Oscar Puente said that “things are getting a little hot” in Castile and Leon, where the flames have threatened a Roman place in the world heritage and forced more than 6,000 people to escape.

His remark, aimed at the conservative leader in the cleaning region during the crisis, has attracted a conviction from the opposition figures who demanded his dismissal. Puente defended his comments, saying that the leaders absent during disasters should be reported.

Authorities say 199 wild fires have destroyed nearly 99,000 hectares across the country this year – a double last year until mid -August – with several outbreaks suspected of arson.

In neighboring Portugal, 1800 firefighters are located against five major flames, including one in the eastern city of Trancoso, reigned by Lightning.

In Albania, the Minister of Defense called it “critical week” when 24 wild fires burned, forcing residents from central villages.

Italy has placed a five -day flame on Mount Vesuvius, but remains under extreme heat warnings in 16 cities, with Florence touches 39C. The temperatures are so high that Pope Leo moved his weekly audience from St. Peter’s Square indoors in the Vatican.

The UK has entered its fourth heat wave of the summer, with temperatures predicting a peak at 34 ° C, and health officials warn of tension in care services.

Meteorologists say that such extremes are becoming more frequent and intense due to human-induced climatic changes.