Two
people
have
died
i
fi es
that
b oke
out
simulta eously
Su day
o
the
isla d
of
Salamis
ea
Athe s,
the
local
fi e
depa tme t
said.
(Photo:
@CGTNOfficial)
Two
wildfi es
that
b oke
out
mi utes
apa t
o
the
G eek
isla d
of
Salami a
o
Su day
killed
two
people
a d
p ompted
the
evacuatio
of
about
500
people
by
sea,
as
c ews
aced
to
p eve t
the
fi es
f om
joi i g.The
eme ge cy
bega
at
2.40pm
local
time
i
Pe iste ia
i
the
isla d’s
south,
whe e
st o g
wi ds
pushed
flames
th ough
a
wooded
eside tial
a ea.
About
20
mi utes
late ,
a othe
fi e
was
epo ted
i
the
easte
tow
of
Seli ia.
Officials
had
ot
established
the
cause
of
eithe
blaze.About
37,000
people
live
o
Salami a,
west
of
Athe s,
a d
ma y
of
them
a e
elde ly.
Autho ities
had
placed
the
isla d
at
high
wildfi e
isk
o
Su day
as
wi ds
app oached
gale
fo ce.“These
co ditio s
e abled
the
fi e
to
quickly
each
da ge ous
p opo tio s
a d
sp ead
apidly
withi
seve
mi utes
towa d
ea by
eside tial
a eas,”
fi e
b igadie
ge e al
Vasileios
Vath akogia is
said,
ews
age cy
AP
epo ted.Fi e
c ews
fou d
two
bodies
i
Pe iste ia.The
local
mayo
told
G eek
media
that
the
dead
we e
believed
to
be
a
couple.
G eek
health
mi iste
Ado is
Geo giades
said
o
X
that
at
least
10
othe s
had
bu s
o
showed
“symptoms
of
smoke
i halatio ”.
Five
we e
take
fo
t eatme t
locally.
200
fi efighte s
t y
to
keep
Salami a
fi es
apa t
200
fi efighte s
t y
to
keep
Salami a
fi es
apa t
Fi efighte s
we e
deployed
ac oss
Salami a,
backed
by
50
fi e
e gi es,
ai c aft,
wate
ta ke s
a d
co st uctio
machi e y.
Deputy
mayo
Thodo is
Za is
said
c ews
we e
t yi g
to
stop
the
fi es
f om
sp eadi g
ove
a
mou tai
a d
joi i g
to
fo m
a
si gle
blaze.About
500
people,
i cludi g
beachgoe s,
we e
evacuated
by
sea.
Fi efighti g
a d
coast
gua d
vessels
joi ed
the
ope atio ,
while
five
pat ol
boats
a d
seve al
p ivate
vessels
we e
also
se t
to
assist.O e
of
the
fi es
was
u de
co t ol
a d
the
evacuatio
ope atio
had
e ded
by
Su day
eve i g,
acco di g
to
G eek
media.
C ews
we e
still
deali g
with
scatte ed
fi es
a ou d
Pe iste ia
late
o
Su day,
while
officials
said
the
Seli ia
blaze
had
“ o
active
f o t”.Two
coast
gua d
vessels
a d
a
fi e
depa tme t
vessel
we e
to
stay
i
the
a ea
to
p ovide
assista ce
a d
keep
watch.The
fi es
o
Salami a
we e
pa t
of
a
wide
outb eak
ac oss
Eu ope
ove
the
weeke d,
with
c ews
also
battli g
majo
blazes
i
Belgium,
F a ce,
the
UK,
Ge ma y
a d
C oatia.
Belgium
fi e
bu s
30
sq
km
i
High
Fe s
By
Su day,
the
fi e
i
easte
Belgium’s
High
Fe s,
o
Hautes
Fag es,
had
bu ed
about
30
sq
km,
maki g
it
o e
of
the
cou t y’s
wo st
wildfi es
i
ece t
histo y.
C ews
we e
o
thei
thi d
day
of
ope atio s
i
Belgium’s
la gest
atu e
ese ve,
whe e
the
affected
a ea
had
mo e
tha
doubled
withi
24
hou s,
BBC
epo ted.The
30
sq
km
bu ed
was
al eady
mo e
tha
twice
the
ea ly
14
sq
km
lost
i
a
2011
fi e
i
the
same
a ea,
which
had
p eviously
bee
Belgium’s
la gest
wildfi e
o
eco d,
acco di g
to
Eu opea
Fo est
Fi e
I fo matio
System
data.Shifti g
wi ds
a d
sp eadi g
smoke
p ompted
autho ities
o
Satu day
to
o de
about
600
eside ts
of
Waimes
a d
Butge bach,
i
Liege
p ovi ce
ea
the
Ge ma
bo de ,
to
leave
thei
homes.
Tou ists
we e
advised
to
leave
as
well,
a d
a
ea by
gym asium
was
ope ed
to
accommodate
evacuees.Mo e
tha
250
eme ge cy
pe so el
we e
i volved
i
the
espo se,
Liege
p ovi cial
gove o
He ve
Jama
said.
They
i cluded
ove
100
fi efighte s
f om
Belgium
a d
Ge ma y,
alo g
with
police,
milita y
pe so el
a d
civil
p otectio
staff.
Helicopte s
ope ated
by
Belgium’s
fede al
police
a d
the
Nethe la ds
also
suppo ted
the
ope atio .Weeks
of
u usually
hot
a d
d y
weathe
had
left
co ditio s
difficult
fo
c ews,
with
the
High
Fe s’
heathla d
a d
peat
bogs
addi g
to
the
challe ge.
Nicolas
Ye aux,
a
spokespe so
fo
the
Public
Se vice
of
Wallo ia,
poi ted
to
the
d y ess
of
the
g ou d.
“We’ e
deali g
with
somethi g
much
deepe
because
we
have
ve y
d y
soil,”
he
said.The
fi e
was
still
adva ci g
o
Su day
i
te ai
that
c ews
fou d
difficult
to
each,
acco di g
to
Re e
Dahme ,
chief
e gi ee
at
the
Depa tme t
of
Natu e
a d
Fo est.
“O
the
easte
fla k,
the e’s
a
li e
at
least
a
kilomete
lo g
whe e
the
fi e
is
slowly
adva ci g
towa d
a
mu icipal
fo est,”
Dahme
said.
“That’s
the
fi st
p io ity
ow.”Belgia
i te io
mi iste
Be a d
Qui ti
said
o
X
that
fi efighte s
had
stopped
the
fi e
f om
sp eadi g
westwa ds
a d
towa ds
the
Ge ma
tow
of
Mo schau.
Ge ma
autho ities
said
it
was
about
1.5km
f om
the
bo de
o
Su day.Fa me s
o
both
sides
of
the
Belgium-Ge ma y
bo de
also
assisted,
usi g
ta ke
t ucks
filled
with
wate
pumped
f om
a
ea by
lake
befo e
headi g
towa ds
the
fi e
zo e.Belgium
had
expe ie ced
a othe
pe iod
of
i te se
heat
du i g
the
week,
with
tempe atu es
i
pa ts
of
the
cou t y
eachi g
about
37°C
o
F iday.
Eu opea
cou t ies
se d
ai c aft,
helicopte s
Belgium
sought
i te atio al
assista ce
by
activati g
the
Eu opea
U io ‘s
civil
p otectio
mecha ism,
EU
commissio e
fo
c isis
ma ageme t,
with
Hadja
Lahbib
sayi g
“The
High
Fe s
a e
bu i g.
Belgium
is
ot
faci g
it
alo e,”
o
X.Swede
p ovided
two
wate -bombi g
ai c aft.
Th ee
helicopte s
we e
also
bei g
se t
—
two
f om
the
Nethe la ds
a d
o e
f om
the
Czech
Republic.
F a ce
evacuates
650
as
fi es
sp ead
ac oss
egio
I
southweste
F a ce,
about
17
sq
km
had
bu ed
i
a
pi e
fo est
i
the
La des
egio
a d
oughly
650
people
had
bee
evacuated.
La des
p efect
Gilles
Clav eul
said
fi efighte s
e cou te ed
o
majo
fla e-ups
ove ight.The
La des
fi e
was
the
thi d
majo
blaze
i
the
pi e
fo ests
of
southweste
F a ce
this
summe ,
afte
two
othe s
i
late
July.Elsewhe e
i
the
southwest,
a
fi e
i
eighbou i g
Gi o de
depa tme t
bu ed
about
420
sq
km
a d
led
autho ities
to
evacuate
a ou d
220,000
people
as
the
flames
moved
towa ds
the
Atla tic
coast
a d
the
Bo deaux
a ea.
UK
battles
14
wildfi es
as
blazes
hit
Ge ma y,
C oatia
I
the
UK,
milita y
pe so el
we e
suppo ti g
eme ge cy
c ews
fighti g
14
wildfi es
i
South
Wales.
Mo e
tha
a
doze
homes
we e
gutted
by
fi es
i
the
West
Midla ds
du i g
the
week,
while
tempe atu es
eached
38.1°C
o
Thu sday,
the
cou t y’s
hottest
day
of
the
yea .Fi efighte s
made
p og ess
agai st
a othe
blaze
i
Ge ma y’s
Hu tge
Fo est,
allowi g
about
2,000
eside ts
evacuated
f om
Gey
to
etu
o
Satu day.
By
Su day,
officials
epo ted
o
ope
flames
a d
said
c ews
had
c eated
a
clea ed
co do
a ou d
the
affected
a ea
to
stop
the
fi e
sp eadi g.C oatia
was
also
deali g
with
the
afte math
of
a
wildfi e
alo g
its
coastli e
that
bega
ove ight
o
F iday.
At
least
o e
pe so
died
a d
doze s
we e
i ju ed,
while
a ou d
1,200
eside ts
a d
tou ists
we e
evacuated.C oatia’s
fi e
chief
Slavko
Tucakovic
called
it
“o e
of
the
wo st”
blazes
i
the
cou t y’s
histo y.The
EU’s
Cope icus
climate
mo ito i g
se vice
has
co fi med
that
weste
Eu ope
eco ded
its
hottest
Ju e-to-July
pe iod
o
eco d.
Autho ities
i
the
UK
wa ed
that
although
the
heatwave
was
easi g,
d ought
co ditio s
mea t
the
isk
of
wildfi es
emai ed
high.