Forest fires rage in Europe: there are victims

Wildfires are raging in Europe, causing casualties. AFP reports that two bodies were found on the beach on the island of Salamis, near Athens. In the northern Spanish region of Aragon, a soldier died while fighting a fire.

According to the Greek coast guard, two wildfires broke out almost simultaneously on the island of Salamis. The fires were detected near crowded beaches in the southern and eastern parts of the island. As the situation worsened, the coast guard evacuated more than 570 people using patrol boats and other vessels.

According to the Greek fire service, an elderly couple died in the fire on Salamis. Rescuers were unable to help them in time. The fire spread very quickly due to strong winds. Greek television showed houses completely destroyed by the fire. At least nine people needed medical attention for burns, the ANA news agency reported.

According to the latest data, the fire around the beach of Selinia in the east of the island is under control. Separate fires remain near the beach of Peristeria in the south. About 200 firefighters, six planes and seven helicopters are involved in the fight against the fire. Salamis is home to about 37,000 people, many of whom are elderly. According to the Greek rescue service, 34 fires have been registered across the country in one day.

The heat and prolonged drought have also led to an increase in forest fires in Spain. On August 16, the head of the Aragon region bordering France, Jorge Ascon, announced the death of one of the soldiers involved in the fight against the fire. According to local media, a military vehicle overturned. In another Spanish region, Andalusia, hundreds of residents who were evacuated due to the fire were able to return to their homes. According to AFP, fires in Andalusia have destroyed 25,000 hectares of vegetation in the past ten days. Rescuers managed to control the fire only by August 16.

Large forest fires were also observed in France. However, by August 16, the situation had stabilized in the northeast of the country, in the Ardennes department bordering Belgium, and in the southwest. About 100 kilometers south of Bordeaux, 1,700 hectares of vegetation have been damaged by fires since August 13. A larger fire near Bordeaux in late July burned 40,000 hectares.

The fight against fires is also ongoing in the Hoes Fenn, the country's largest nature reserve on the Belgian border with Germany. According to AFP, on August 16, thick yellow smoke covered the border area and could be seen from several kilometers away. According to Belgian authorities, the area of the fire doubled in size in just 24 hours, reaching almost 3,000 hectares. On the night of August 17, precautions were also increased in the German city of Monschau, near the Belgian border, due to the increase in the size of the fire. Local authorities decided to evacuate part of the city's population.