More evacuations as crews tackle blazes in Spain and Greece
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Madrid/Athens (dpa) – A fire that broke out on the Spanish island of Tenerife this week was still raging on Sunday and has now destroyed more than 2,150 hectares, the regional president said, even as the situation eases in other parts of the country.
Greece – Greek firefighters battled wildfires on the island of Lesbos for a second day on Sunday as well as new fires in the western Peloponnese and in northern Greece, evacuating nearby settlements as a heatwave set in.
A wildfire that started in mountainous forests on Lesbos in the Aegean Sea near Turkey on Saturday, burning properties at the beach resort of Vatera, was still raging, forcing the evacuation of two more villages – Vrisa and Stavros.
In mainland Greece a new wildfire threatened homes at Krestena in the western Peloponnese, forcing the evacuation of Gryllos village.
“The flames have encircled Krestena, there are reports of damaged homes, we need help,” Anastasios Karnaros, a town council member, told Greek broadcaster Open TV.
Temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in parts of Greece on Sunday as a heatwave that has hit other parts of Europe spread east and was expected to last for most of the coming week, according to meteorologists.
In the north of the country, a wildfire continued to ravage a pristine forest near Dadia, a natural habitat for black vultures, burning for a fourth day as authorities struggled to contain its destruction.
Spain The forest fire that broke out last Thursday in the north of Tenerife it already affects five municipalities: above all Los Realejos, where it began after 10 o’clock, but also in La Orotava (a town of 41,800 inhabitants with important urban and agricultural centers), San Juan de la Rambla, La Guancha and Icod de the wines. The fire has already been perimeter thanks to the extinction work that has been carried out during the night, as announced at a press conference by the President of the Island Government, Ángel Víctor Torres, who explained that the area affected is already in 2,423 hectares, with an approximate perimeter of 26 kilometers. “The prognosis is not bad”, has clarified despite all the president. The evacuees remain at 584, all of them residents of Los Realejos and La Orotava, who are housed in relatives’ houses and in hotels. (El Pais)
