Greece battles wildfires as heatwave grips Southern Europe

Greece is enduring another day of the heatwave. In some parts of the country, temperatures exceed 40°C, which is expected to continue until Monday, according to meteorologists. Firefighters are battling fires in many regions, increasing the risk of new outbreaks.

This is an exceptionally hot and dangerous time in many European countries. Greece is once again experiencing a heatwave this season. Temperatures of 40°C —and even higher—have become almost normal.

The Greek Ministry of Culture announced that the opening hours of some archaeological sites have changed over the weekend due to the heatwave. Selected sites are closed to visitors.

The Athens authorities earlier announced the closure of the National Garden in the city centre, which is popular among tourists, due to the severe fire risk caused by high temperatures and strong winds.

The Acropolis is among the closed archaeological sites.

The authorities have issued a fire warning for Attica, parts of the Peloponnese, and Central Greece. Residents should refrain from activities that could ignite a fire. Patrols are being carried out, including the use of drones.

Firefighters have been battling fires for over a week. Some of these fires broke out after thunderstorms swept through the country. A few tens of miles north of Athens, lightning killed nine cows and caused fires.

Dozens of firefighters are also fighting a forest fire in Messenia, southwest of the Peloponnese. On Friday, as a precaution due to a nearby fire, a children's camp was evacuated in the town of Erythres in Western Attica.

Southern Europe is experiencing a heatwave caused by hot air masses from Africa. Temperatures in many countries exceed 40°C.

Since Friday, a record number of 17 Italian cities have been on the highest heat alert level. Excessive electricity use due to mass air conditioning has led to frequent power outages, including in Rome, Milan, and Ancona.

A forest fire raged in the area around Split on the Croatian coast. The fire threatened residential buildings and nearby tourists, who had to be evacuated.