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       Related video: Firefighters battle Western Greece wildfire burning through the night

       A heat wave across southern Europe, fed by hot air from North Africa, has triggered deadly blazes across the Mediterranean with the death toll rising to eight on Sunday.

       Wildfires are raging near Turkey’s holiday beach destinations of Antalya and Mugla and in the surrounding countryside, with villages destroyed, animals on fire and people being forced to evacuate.

       Blazes have also affected the Italian island of Sicily and western Greece, where some residents had to be evacuated by boat to escape the flames.

       On Sunday, bathers on an Italian beach south of the Adriatic city of Pescara fled when they spotted towering clouds of smoke and flames from a fire in a nearby pine forest.

       Meanwhile, in Turkey's eastern Van province, floods over the weekend destroyed at least six houses after a small river overflowed amid heavy rains.

       Recommended Majority of Turkey wildfires under control, official says Wildfire in western Greece forces village, beach evacuations

       Key Points Turkey experiences ‘hell’ with fires Italians flee towering clouds of smoke and flames EU sends water-carrying planes to Turkey Turkish towns and villages evacuated by boat Animals on fires as blaze takes hold

       Show latest update 1627904422 ‘Wall of fire’ threatens threatening town Cokertme in southern Turkey

       Eleanor Sly 2 August 2021 12:40

       1627903075 Watch experts discuss climate crisis’s impact on extreme weather during The Independent’s exclusive event

       The Independent spoke with experts from around the world on how the climate crisis is supercharging extreme weather events - and what that means for those in their paths, writes climate correspondent Louise Boyle.

       Watch The Independent’s free virtual event on extreme weather and the climate crisis The Independent spoke with experts from around the world on how the climate crisis is supercharging extreme weather events - and what that means for those in their paths, writes climate correspondent Louise Boyle

       Eleanor Sly 2 August 2021 12:17

       1627902331 Greek heatwave making fires worse

       Greece is currently in the grip of a heatwave, with temperatures hovering between 42C and 44C , making wildfired even worse.

       The country is hit by forest fires every summer, but experts are warning that global warming has increased both their frequency and their intensity.

       The heatwave is expected to reach its peak on Monday, with temperatures inland forecase to reach from 42C to 46C.

       It is thought that the high temperatures will remain at around 40C and above in much of Greece until Friday at the earliest.

       Eleanor Sly 2 August 2021 12:05

       1627900945 Hot and dry weather has exacerbated fires

       Hot and dry weather conditions have made the the fires worse, Turkey’s Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said on Thursday.

       He explained that temperatures of 37 Celsius (98.6F), less than 14 per cent humidity, with winds of around 50 kilometers per hour (31 mph) had fanned the flames.

       Hikmet Ozturk, who is a forestry expert with the Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion said that while 95 per cent of the fires in Turkey are caused by people, their spread has been made worse by the effects of climate change, CNN reported.

       “Typical weather conditions in the summer for the area is hot and dry, which means the risk of fires is already high, and climate change raises that risk,” he said.

       Eleanor Sly 2 August 2021 11:42

       1627900017 Italy’s fire service tackles hundreds of wildfires as temperatures soar

       The Italian fire brigade tackled hundreds of wildfires over the weekend.

       They tweeted: “In the last 24 hours, firefighters have carried out more than 800 interventions: 250 in Sicily, 130 in Puglia and Calabria, 90 in Lazio and 70 in Campania.”

       Firefighters are still attempting to calm blazes in the Sicilian cities of Catania, Palermo and Syracuse.

       Meanwhile, the country’s entire fleet of 15 Canadair water-carrying planes attempted to put out the blazes on Sunday, tweeted the fire brigade

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       Eleanor Sly 2 August 2021 11:26

       1627898475 Animals on fires as blaze takes hold

       In the village of Kacarlar, on Turkey’s southern coast, farmers are being confronted with apocalyptic scenes, reports CNN.

       Speaking to the broadcaster, Muzeyyan Kacar said: “The animals are on fire,”

       She added: “Everything is going to burn. Our land, our animals and our house. What else do we have anyway?”

       Meanwhile, 48-year-old Gulay Kacar explained: “My father’s house burned down,”

       “Gone, gone, it’s gone,” she added before saying she was “running to let the animals loose.”

       Eleanor Sly 2 August 2021 11:01

       1627898422 Firefighters battle Western Greece wildfire burning through the night Watch: Firefighters battle Western Greece wildfire burning through the night Nearly 300 firefighters fought through the night to contain the fire early on August 1, which burned through pine and olive trees and damaged a number of homes and beach settlements, according to the national fire service.Several villages and beaches were evacuated on July 31 when the fire crossed over the highway connecting Athens to Patras, Greece’s third largest city, dividing the area in two.The fire erupted in the hills of Ziria in Greece’s Peloponnese, about 30 kilometres east of Patras, and quickly spread downwards towards the coast.

       Eleanor Sly 2 August 2021 11:00

       1627898018 Turkish towns and villages evacuated by boat

       Residents were forced to evacuate Cokertme village as flames grew closer on Sunday. Some took to the sea while others headed for the roads as the flames encroached.

       An evacuation order was also issued for the town of Turunc which lies near the seaside resort of Marmaris in Mugla.

       People climbed aboard small boats carrying suitcases while others hoped that the flames would die down from the shore.

       Eleanor Sly 2 August 2021 10:53

       1627897154 EU sends water-carrying planes to Turkey

       Water-carrying planes have been sent from the European Union in an attempt to control the blaze which is tearing through forests in Turkey.

       The EU said on Sunday that it had helped to mobilise one firefighting Canadair plane from Croatia and two from Spain.

       The Croatian plane is expected to arrive on Monday while the one from Spain will arrive on Tuesday, an EU offical said.

       There have also been planes sent from Ukraine, Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran which are helping to fight the blazes.

       Eleanor Sly 2 August 2021 10:39

       1627896038 Firefighters and water planes continue fight to quench flames in Greece

       Nearly 300 firefighters, two water bomber planes and five helicopters battle to put out a forest fire in Greece that has so far destroyed around 20 homes.

       Five villages have been evacuated and eight people hospitalised with burns and respiratory problems since the fire broke out early on July 31 near Patras, in the Peloponnese.

       Watch: Firefighters and water planes continue fight to quench flames in Greece Nearly 300 firefighters, two water bomber planes and five helicopters battle to put out a forest fire in Greece that has so far destroyed around 20 homes.Five villages have been evacuated and eight people hospitalised with burns and respiratory problems since the fire broke out early on July 31 near Patras, in the Peloponnese.Meteorologists have issued further warnings of another heatwave ahead. Temperatures in Greece have reached 39 degrees Celsius, 102 degrees Fahrenheit, in recent days.Five water-dropping planes and four helicopters were used to fight the blaze outside the Stamata area, which was 18 miles northeast of the Greek capital.

       Eleanor Sly 2 August 2021 10:20

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