Holidaymakers evacuated after wildfires devastated a pinewood near a beach in Pescara, Italy. One of the worst heatwaves in decades swept across south-east Europe and wounded five.
- About 800 people were evacuated from their homes, including a convent of nuns, after a fire broke out in the 53-hectare (131-acre) Pineta Dannunziana nature reserve, as the fires continue to be active on different fronts.
- Carlo Masci, the mayor of Pescara said that “we had to evacuate several homes and beach resorts due to the smoke. The biggest problem is the hot wind. We are doing the best we can to limit the damage.”
- More than 800 flare-ups were recorded this weekend, mainly in the south, Italy’s national fire service said. “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,” the service tweeted.
- Wildfires have also broken out across much of south-eastern Europe, including Spain, Greece, and Turkey. They are dealing with one of the most severe heatwaves in decades, with temperatures rising above 40C (104F), forcing hundreds to evacuate.
- More than 200 people were taken to safety from the seaside around Catania in Sicily, while dozens of villages were evacuated in tourist hotspots in southern Turkey, where wildfires that have killed eight people raged for a fifth day.
- In Spain, dozens of firefighters backed by water-dropping aircraft were battling a wildfire that broke out on Saturday afternoon near the San Juan reservoir, about 40 miles east of Madrid.
Meanwhile, a major blaze broke out early on Saturday near Patras in western Greece. Five villages have been evacuated and eight people were hospitalized with burns and respiratory problems in the region, which remains on alert.
