Albania, Bulgaria ask EU for help to deal with raging wildfires
Forest fires are raging in many areas across the country with the main problems being in the south-western areas of the country.
Damage includes many homes, and thousands of acres have been left charred.
More than 1,000 firefighters and emergency units are involved in trying to tackle the inferno.
Hungarian, Croatian and Italian air assets are assisting in the extinguishing work as Tirana has requested assistance from the European Civil Protection Mechanism.
Bulgaria has to deal with more than 230 fire fronts.
The EU sent four helicopters and two aircraft to help tackle them. 11 regions have been put on red alert due to high temperatures.
Dozens of houses have been burnt to the ground and thousands of acres of forest have been set ablaze.
The most serious problems are located east of the border with Turkey. In Turkey itself, a record temperature of 50,5 degrees Celsius has been measured in the south-eastern city of Silopi.
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LeMonde
4 hours ago
- LeMonde
Wildfires threaten Turkey's fourth-largest city as southern Europe grapples with blazes
Wildfires that have engulfed Turkey for weeks threatened the country's fourth-largest city on Sunday, July 27, forcing more than 3,500 people to flee their homes and leaving two people dead. Greece, Bulgaria and Montenegro are also battling blazes fed by unusually high temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds. Overnight fires in the forested mountains surrounding Bursa, in northwest Turkey, spread rapidly, tinting the night sky over the city's eastern suburbs with a red glow. Dozens of severe wildfires have hit the country daily since late June, with the government declaring the two western provinces of Izmir and Bilecik as disaster areas on Friday. Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli told reporters late Sunday that 3,515 people had been safely evacuated from villages to the northeast of Bursa as more than 1,900 firefighters battled the flames. The highway linking Bursa to the capital, Ankara, was closed as surrounding forests burned. 'Apocalypse' A firefighter died from a heart attack while on the job, the city's mayor, Mustafa Bozbey, said, adding that the flames had scorched 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) around the city. One person was killed and two seriously injured when a water tanker fell into a ravine outside Bursa, local media reported. Orhan Saribal, an opposition parliamentarian for the province, described the scene as "an apocalypse." By morning, lessening winds brought some respite to firefighters, who continued efforts to battle the flames. However, TV footage revealed an ashen landscape where farms and pine forests had earlier stood. Yumakli said fire crews across the country confronted 84 separate blazes Saturday. The country's northwest was under the greatest threat, including Karabuk, where wildfires have burned since Tuesday and 1,839 people have been evacuated from 19 villages. Aside from Bursa and Karabuk, a major fire was raging in Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey, the minister said, warning that growing winds could suddenly reignite fires not properly watered down after being extinguished. Beleagured firefighters and rescue workers saved thousands of livestock and pets that had been left behind in the rush to evacuate threatened areas. Local media also showed images of workers assisting wildlife caught among the fires. Unseasonably high temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds have been fueling the wildfires. The General Directorate of Meteorology said Turkey recorded its highest ever temperature of 50.5° Celsius (122.9° Fahrenheit) in the southeastern Sirnak province on Friday. The highest temperatures for July were seen in 132 other locations, it said. Fifteen people have died in recent weeks, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers killed Wednesday in a fire in Eskisehir in western Turkey. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said late Saturday that prosecutors had investigated fires in 33 provinces since June 26, and that legal action had been taken against 97 suspects. Code red warning On Bulgaria's southern borders with Greece and Turkey, as well as the western Serbian frontier, firefighters battled wildfires as the government declared the worst-hit provinces disaster zones. Residents across nearly half the country were issued with a code red warning, the highest level. National Fire Service chief Alexander Djartov told reporters that 236 wildfires were burning, many fanned by strong winds. The government had asked EU partners for help, he added, and aircraft were expected from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, Hungary and Sweden later Sunday. In the southwestern Strumyani region, overnight blazes forced firefighters to retreat. They were reinforced Sunday by soldiers. Dozens of people fled their homes in the western Tran region as flames threatened villages near the Serbian border.
Euronews
12 hours ago
- Euronews
Albania, Bulgaria ask EU for help to deal with raging wildfires
Albanian fire brigades are facing dozens of fire fronts which are raging because of a combination of arson and the heat wave. Forest fires are raging in many areas across the country with the main problems being in the south-western areas of the country. Damage includes many homes, and thousands of acres have been left charred. More than 1,000 firefighters and emergency units are involved in trying to tackle the inferno. Hungarian, Croatian and Italian air assets are assisting in the extinguishing work as Tirana has requested assistance from the European Civil Protection Mechanism. Bulgaria has to deal with more than 230 fire fronts. The EU sent four helicopters and two aircraft to help tackle them. 11 regions have been put on red alert due to high temperatures. Dozens of houses have been burnt to the ground and thousands of acres of forest have been set ablaze. The most serious problems are located east of the border with Turkey. In Turkey itself, a record temperature of 50,5 degrees Celsius has been measured in the south-eastern city of Silopi.
Euronews
2 days ago
- Euronews
Is autumn already coming? Risk of heavy rain until the beginning of the week
Meteorologists are talking about a "summer monsoon" - an area of high pressure over the Mediterranean and Scandinavia is causing sweltering heat, while a disturbance has settled directly over Germany, causing continuous torrential rain. What is particularly striking is that this type of disturbance hardly moves and remains almost stationary over certain regions. The focus of this weather situation will be over southern Germany over the next few days. The German Weather Service (DWD) is warning of heavy rainfall and severe thunderstorms, with up to 150 litres of rain per square metre possible in southern Germany by Tuesday. The thunderstorms at the weekend are mainly concentrated in the southern regions of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. At the beginning of the week, the rain front swings in over the Alps. South of a line from Saarland to Dresden, precipitation is to be expected again and again up to and including Tuesday - partly showery, in places with thunderstorms, hail and strong to stormy gusts. Between the Black Forest and the Bavarian Forest, especially south of the Danube, there is an increased risk of heavy rainfall. Localised flooding and high water may occur. North of a line from Saarland to Saxony, the weather will often be friendlier - with repeated clearings and longer sunny spells. However, occasional showers or isolated thunderstorms are possible. Only temporarily "midsummery" again For Wednesday, 30 July, there are signs of a brief calming of the weather overall: An extension of the Azores High will temporarily push the remaining disturbances eastwards. Large parts of Germany will see more sunshine and temperatures will climb back up to a summery 27 degrees in some places. However, this friendly spell of weather is likely to be short-lived. According to current model calculations, the area of high pressure will not be able to maintain itself in the long term. The overriding weather situation leaves room for new disruptive systems to settle over southern and south-eastern Germany in particular. Big differences within Europe An extreme heatwave over Sweden and Norway is slowly subsiding. In parts near the Arctic Circle, up to 13 consecutive days of heat were measured. However, the heat could return as early as next week. In Portugal, temperatures are currently normal for this time of year and the weather warnings are at "yellow" level. There was a massive heatwave there at the end of June, which apparently led to excess mortality, particularly among older people. Italy is currently enjoying moderate weather, with isolated showers and temperatures of around 25 degrees. In Spain, there are currently frequent showers in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, but it is hot in the south of the country, with temperatures of 34-36 degrees Celsius. Temperatures in Spain are generally lower compared to other years.
