Turkey and Italy: devastating forest fires in the Mediterranean

Powerful wildfires are raging in many holiday areas on the Mediterranean. Turkey is currently particularly hard hit. At least six people have died there so far. Italy is also reporting violent fires.

In Turkey, the fire brigade is working to fight devastating forest fires. The situation on the Turkish Mediterranean coast is particularly tense, with strong winds making it difficult to put out the fire.

In total, Turkey has reported 101 sources of fire – 91 of which are under control. Six people have died so far in the fires, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced in the evening.

Panic in the seaside resort of Bodrum

Recently, a fire broke out in the popular seaside resort of Bodrum on the Turkish Aegean Sea. According to the Anadolu Agency, residents and tourists had to be taken to safety from the fire. Many people rushed to the coast in panic. Private boats support the authorities in the evacuation. The cause of the fire has not yet been clarified. The authorities are investigating in all directions and do not rule out arson.

Erdogan in Brand

The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan immediately got an idea of ​​the situation and promised all the victims the support of the state. Meanwhile, he thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for sending helicopters and firefighting planes. And the number of machines increased from six to 13, according to Erdogan.

The Turkish head of state was criticized in his country after he learned that Turkey itself does not have firefighting planes despite the fires that break out every year.

Fires in Sicily – severe weather warning for northern Italy

Italy has also reported several wildfires – in Sicily alone, the fire brigade has been deployed 250 times within 24 hours. The fires raged mainly around the city of Catania. About 170 people were trapped in the fires there and had to be evacuated. The airport in Catania was forced to temporarily halt operations.

The fires are fueled by constant heat, drought and high winds. Some attribute investigators to arson. Sicily’s regional president, Nilo Musumesi, wrote in a Facebook post of “destruction” from the rising temperatures. According to him, investigators found that some of the fires were behind some of the fires. It causes irreversible damage to the heritage of the forest and puts people at risk.

But in northern Italy, authorities have warned of heavy rain. For individual regions in Italy’s northern Lombardy, the highest warning level in red applies, according to a report from the Civil Protection Authority. This week’s violent storms caused flooding and landslides in the area around Lake Como.

Extreme heat in Greece

Greece was also hit by a severe heat wave. Forecasters forecast temperatures of up to 46 degrees Celsius over the weekend and throughout the next week. Also in Rhodes the weather will be hot next Tuesday with temperatures around 44 degrees. It stays hot at night, especially in urban areas, where temperatures are well over 30 degrees.