Harsh weather conditions continue to batter Europe, as the heatwave has triggered numerous wildfires, compounding human and material losses.
Two people were killed after a forest fire broke out in northern Greece when flames spread rapidly to a house in a wooded area near the village of Liti, located about 25 kilometres from the city of Thessaloniki, with strong winds helping to fan the blaze.
Firefighting teams said they found the body of a man near the fire site, while a second body was discovered inside a house completely destroyed by the flames. Rescue teams also managed to evacuate a woman who sustained burns and transported her for medical treatment. In addition, 3 people were killed in the early hours of yesterday morning in a fire that broke out at a complex housing a care home and residential units in the city of Monschau, near Aachen in western Germany.
The fire broke out at 1:30 a.m. local German time, prompting emergency teams to intervene and immediately evacuate the building. Firefighting operations continued into the early morning hours, while the relevant authorities launched investigations to determine the circumstances and true causes of the fire.
In Croatia, the meteorological authority issued a red alert for areas including the capital Zagreb, as well as the tourist destinations of Split and Dubrovnik.
Dozens of firefighters, supported by 4 aircraft, are battling a blaze consuming pine forests on the tourist island of Vis in the Adriatic Sea, about 55 kilometres southwest of the city of Split. Aircraft are also participating in extinguishing a fire near the Croatian town of Orebić, while local authorities have issued weather warnings about the risk of wildfires in several areas following rising temperatures and drought.
In neighbouring Serbia, the government's hydrometeorological authority forecast temperatures reaching 39 degrees Celsius. To the south, Albania managed to contain a wildfire that consumed large expanses of trees, including olive trees, near the village of Klos in the south.
In Spain and Switzerland, the wildfire risk level rose to 3 out of 5 across most of both countries. In Spain, the heatwave had a severe impact on agricultural crops, while six provinces in France face a high risk of fires breaking out.
Scientists said the heatwave, which began on 20 June, is the worst on record in Europe, and that the high temperatures disrupted electricity production, damaged infrastructure, and strained healthcare systems.
France recorded 1,000 deaths above normal rates during the heatwave. The French Public Health Agency said most heat-related deaths were among the elderly, warning that the figure is likely to rise.