Europe heatwave latest: Wildfires rip through Greece as France, Spain and Italy brace for

There is still a very high risk of fire in the regions of Attica and Crete on Saturday, as well as in the Central Greece region, the Peloponnese, North Aegean and Central Macedonia, according to the Fire Risk Map issued by the General Secretariat for Civil Protection.

Britons in Greece have been told to avoid fire risk areas and to use no open flames outdoors.

A total of 40 wildfires broke out in Greece in the last 24 hours, the Fire Department said on Friday.

Of the total, 33 were put out immediately in their initial phase, and firefighters were still battling another Seven as of Friday evening, according to local news reports in Athens.

Fire Department’s investigators are looking into the causes of the fires.

Google Maps shows several ‘estimated fires’ in southern Italy. According to satellite sources updated in the past six hours there are fires in Venosa, Province of Potenza, Isola di Capo Rizzuto, Province of Crotone, San Paolo di Civitate, Province of Foggia, Erchie, BR and in Sicily.

Tourists visiting the Acropolis used umbrellas and fans to protect themselves, while locals retreated indoors, as temperatures over 40C gripped the Greek capital on Friday.

Situated at Europe’s southernmost tip in the Mediterranean Sea, Greece has always had hot and dry summers.

But in recent years, climate change has led to longer and more severe heatwaves, as well as wildfires and destructive floods.

Workers had the option of switching to remote working to avoid possible heat exhaustion, while air-conditioned facilities were provided for the elderly.

“We have a really nice temperature in here,” 80-year-old Maro Marneri said at a community centre in Athens.

Tourists were less comfortable. “We are all from Pennsylvania and we have never really experienced a heatwave like this before,” Antonia Lasen said.

“At the Acropolis, we were all very hot and it was a little bit slippery to walk up, and the combination of the heat and the marble, I think it was hotter because of the cement, it was like a cement jungle almost, which is very hot.”

With extreme heat also comes violent storms. With heavy rain and storms hitting France and Germany.

Two people were killed and 17 injured during a storm in France that flooded the streets of Paris yesterday.

In the south of France, a falling tree crushed a 12-year-old child to death and a man died when his quad bike hit a toppled tee in the north.

The French civil defence agency said power was lost to 110,000 homes.