Cyprus has been facing major forest fires since Tuesday June 11 and has received reinforcements from Greece and Egypt to fight a large-scale fire. As the month of June begins and the summer promises to be hot and dry, the fire season begins in Europe
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Five villages evacuated and a national emergency plan, intense forest fires starting from an illegal dump, which caused no casualties, ravage the west of Cyprus since Tuesday. A number of houses suffered significant damage or were destroyed, according to fire spokesman Andreas Kettis, but the extent of the damage has not yet been determined. Later Wednesday, Mr. Kettis wrote onthe fire was dying down » but that the “ recovery risk (…) stay present “.
Water bomber planes arrived from Greece and Jordan to help Cypriot firefighters who are battling the flames in complicated weather conditions. Between the lack of rain and the stifling heat, the island has been suffocating for several days under temperatures of more than 40 degrees.
A summer of 2024 which promises to be dangerous
The coming summer should be of the same ilk, according to the first weather forecasts. More broadly, theEurope should therefore experience a dry and hot summer season, particularly in the south of the continent. Something to worry about, particularly in Greece, where last year’s nightmare remains in people’s minds. 175,000 hectares of forest had burned in fires fueled by a historic heatwave.
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In France, where firefighters have just put out the first large fire of the season in the south of the country, concern is also shared. Despite a particularly rainy start to the year, France should not be spared. The rains have allowed the vegetation to develop more than usual, with the risk now that it will dry out and cause brush fires.