Britons begin cancelling travel plans as Europe burns in Cerberus heatwave: Holidaymakers say they fear for their health with temperatures in Italy, Spain and Greece soaring towards 49C – as more than two thousand people flee wildfires
- Holidaymakers are changing travel plans due to Europe’s heatwave and wildfires
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British holidaymakers are changing their travel plans as temperatures soar to record-highs and more than two thousand people in the Canary Islands flee from wildfires.
Sweltering heat sweeping across Italy, Spain and Greece could bring ‘potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe’ to the region this week as locals and travellers battle what meteorologists have dubbed the ‘most intense heatwave of the summer’.
Authorities in Athens say the Acropolis, one of Greece’s top tourist attractions, will close during the hottest hours on Sunday, for the third day running. Spanish officials on Saturday had evacuated more than 2,500 people from La Palma in the Canary Islands, where a wildfire has destroyed 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres) of land.
Britons who had booked European holidays this week now say they are changing their travel plans because they are ‘worried about my health’ and don’t want anything bad to happen while on holiday.
Some travellers said they had to cancel their trip altogether, while others claim they went on holiday but were forced to ‘stay in our room most of the day’ due to the unbearable temperatures, The Guardian reported.
Some holidaymakers are just planning to change outings and activities, while others are trying to instead move their holiday to regions with milder climates.
Spanish officials said Saturday they had evacuated more than 2,500 people from La Palma in the Canary Islands, where fire has destroyed 4,500 hectares of land. Pictured: The inferno raging through La Palma on Saturday
Around 300 firefighters on the ground are working to bring the blaze under control, supported by firefighting aircraft. Pictured: Fire crews battle the blaze in La Palma on Saturday
Sweltering heat sweeping across Italy, Spain and Greece could bring ‘potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe’ to the region this week. Pictured: A man cools off in a fountain in Turin, Italy on Saturday amid record high temperatures
Much of Southern Europe has been engulfed by a severe heatwave named Cerberus after the hound of Hades from Greek mythology. Pictured: Locals and tourists cool off at a beach in Nafplion, Greece on Saturday
Much of Southern Europe has been engulfed by a severe heatwave named Cerberus after the hound of Hades from Greek mythology.
Justine Rush, 53, is currently on holiday in Corfu with her husband and two teenagers. She told the newspaper that their family expected heat, but not temperatures make it ‘too hot to go outside in the day’.
Ms Rush, whose family was forced to spend most of their day cooped up in their accommodation, said that despite not enjoying beach days, ‘we can’t do anything else’. They cancelled a day trip to a nearby town and will instead lounge by the sea.
Paola Deitan, 29, shared how she and her friend were meant to travel to Greece but are now going to Barcelona due to its more mild climate.
‘Obviously, I am worried about my health,’ she told The Guardian. ‘I don’t want anything to happen to me while on holiday.’
Another traveller, who is on a cruise around the Mediterranean with her university-aged son, said the heatwave has put her off from taking another European holiday.
The 61-year-old, who booked on-land excursions, fears they will have to ‘stay on the boat the whole time because it will be too hot to do anything’.
She added: ‘We usually do our holidays in England but we wanted something different this year. I don’t think I will do this again or maybe we’ll make such plans around Easter instead.’
Officials in La Palma blamed ‘the wind, the climate conditions as well as the heatwave that we are living through’ for the swift spread of the blaze. Pictured: The fire burning on Saturday
Local residents look on at a burning forest fire, near Puntagorda on the Canary Island of La Palma, on Saturday
Flames and smoke rise from a forest fire in Punta Gorda, La Palma, Canary Islands on Saturday
The fire broke out in the morning in the Puntagorda district on Saturday before spreading quickly. Pictured: The blaze burning on Saturday
At least 11 houses were destroyed in the inferno which started in the early hours in El Pinar de Puntagorda – a wooded area in the north of the Canary Island, which is popular with British holidaymakers. Pictured: The fire burning early Saturday morning
The fire is on the western side of La Palma on wooded, hilly terrain dotted with homes. Pictured: The fire raging through the island on Saturday
Italy faces weekend predictions of historic highs with the health ministry issuing a red alert for 16 cities including Rome, Bologna and Florence.
The weather centre warned Italians to prepare for ‘the most intense heatwave of the summer and also one of the most intense of all time’.
The thermometer is likely to hit 40C (104F) in Rome by Monday and even 43C (109F) on Tuesday, smashing the record of 40.5C (105F) set in August 2007.
The islands of Sicily and Sardinia could wilt under temperatures as high as 48C (118F), the European Space Agency warned – ‘potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe’.
The Acropolis in Athens, one of Greece’s top tourist attractions, will close during the hottest hours on Sunday, for the third day running.
In France, high temperatures and resulting drought are posing a threat to the farming industry, earning Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau criticism from climatologists for having brushed aside conditions as ‘normal enough for summer’.
This June was the second-hottest on record in France, according to the national weather agency, and several areas of the country have been under a heatwave alert since Tuesday.
There is little reprieve ahead for Spain, whose meteorological agency warned that a new heatwave Monday through Wednesday will bring temperatures above 40C to the Canary Islands and the southern Andalusia region.
Italy faces weekend predictions of historic highs with the health ministry issuing a red alert for 16 cities including Rome, Bologna and Florence. Pictured: A woman drinks water during a heat wave in Turin, Italy on Saturday
The weather centre warned Italians to prepare for ‘the most intense heatwave of the summer and also one of the most intense of all time’. Pictured: People cool off at Mondello beach in Italy on Saturday
Holidaymakers say they are forced to stay inside or lounge by the beach because it is ‘too hot’ to do anything else. Pictured: A woman has sun-cream applied as she sits at Mondello beach, during a heatwave across Italy on Saturday
Some holidaymakers say they are changing their travel plans because they are ‘worried about my health’ and don’t want anything bad to happen while travelling. Pictured: A man drinks water from a fountain during a heat wave in Turin, Italy on Saturday
People enjoy the banks of the Guadiaro river at ‘La Cueva del Gato’ near Benaojan, in southern Spain on Saturday
Pictured: Tourists, many from the UK, bask on another scorching day on the city beach in Las Palmas on Gran Canaria on Friday
Pictured: British Holidaymakers braving heatwave in Benidorm, Alicante, Spain on Friday
Pictured: Britons enjoy food and beers during the heatwave in Benidorm, Spain on Friday
Spanish officials said Saturday they had evacuated more than 2,500 people from La Palma in the Canary Islands, where fire has destroyed 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres) of land.
At least 11 houses were destroyed in the inferno which started in the early hours in El Pinar de Puntagorda – a wooded area in the north of the Canary Island, which is popular with British holidaymakers.
Around 300 firefighters on the ground are working to bring the blaze under control, supported by firefighting aircraft, they added.
READ MORE: Baking Brit tourists laugh off searing temperatures in Europe as they soak up ‘flaming hot’ weather – while it rains back home in UK
‘The fire advanced very quickly,’ said Fernando Clavijo, president of the Canary Islands regional government.
He blamed ‘the wind, the climate conditions as well as the heatwave that we are living through’ for the swift spread of the blaze.
‘It’s a fire that has gathered strength in very little time,’ Tourism Minister Hector Gomez told reporters.
Sergio Rodriguez, head of the La Palma Council and the island’s main authority, called on people to respect the evacuation to allow the emergency services to work more easily.
The fire broke out in the morning in the Puntagorda district on Saturday before spreading quickly, said a statement from local officials.
Tijarafe’s mayor, Marcos Lorenzo, told TVE television that not all the town had been evacuated.
According to data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), Spain suffered nearly 500 wildfires in 2022, which destroyed more than 300,000 hectares, the worst figure in Europe.
So far this year, it has lost another 66,000 hectares to fire, according to the latest EFFIS data.
The situation is all the more worrying in a country that has been hit hard by the effects of climate change, with a series of crushing heatwaves as well as less and less rainfall.
The national meteorological agency also registered record highs during exceptionally hot weather in mainland Spain.
Italy is facing temperatures of historic highs this weekend with the health ministry issuing a red alert for 16 cities including Rome, Bologna and Florence (pictured: tourists sweltering in the heat in Rome)
Meanwhile Spanish authorities have preemptively evacuated some 500 people to avoid a wildfire (pictured) on the Canary Island of La Palma
The meteo centre warned Italians to prepare for ‘the most intense heatwave of the summer and also one of the most intense of all time’ (pictured: tourists in Venice on Saturday)
The wildfire and evacuations come nearly two years after a three-month volcanic eruption caused devastation on La Palma.
While nobody was killed, around 3,000 buildings were buried along with many banana plantations, roads and irrigation systems.
The fire is on the western side of La Palma on wooded, hilly terrain dotted with homes. It is not an area directly impacted by the 2021 volcanic eruption.
Puntagorda’s mayor, Vicente Rodriguez, told Spanish public broadcaster RTVE the fire started inside the limits of his municipality.
He said the area has seen below-average rainfall in recent years, just like large parts of the drought-stricken mainland, because of changing weather patterns impacted by climate change.
Authorities and forestry experts are concerned that the conditions are ripe for a difficult wildfire campaign after seeing virulent fires as early as March.
La Palma, with a population of 85,000, is one of eight members of Spain’s Canary Islands archipelago off Africa’s western coast. At their nearest point, the islands are 60 miles from Morocco.
The thermometer is likely to hit 40C (104F) in Rome (pictured on Saturday) by Monday and even 43C (109F) on Tuesday, smashing the record of 40.5C (105F) set in August 2007
The islands of Sicily and Sardinia could wilt under temperatures as high as 48C (118F), the European Space Agency warned – ‘potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe’ (pictured: people trying to cool down in Venice on Saturday)
While people in Italy (pictured in Rome) are suffering under the high temperatures, Greece is also roasting, with parts of the country facing highs of as much as 44C (111F) on Saturday
A red alert warning, which is in place for 16 Italian cities, means that the heat is so intense that it poses a health risk to the whole population – not just vulnerable groups like the elderly and very young children (pictured: tourists sheltering under umbrellas in Venice)
The central city of Thebes sweated under 44.2C (111F) on Friday, while Rome (pictured Saturday) is expected to experience temperatures above 40C this weekend and next week
Tourists at the Roman forum brave the hot conditions on another sweltering day with high temperatures in Rome on Saturday
Tourists shelter from the sun with umbrellas in St. Mark’s Square as the city gears up for ‘Redentore’ festival celebrations in Venice on Saturday
In Venice, tourists used umbrellas and hats to shelter from the heat on Saturday
READ MORE: Roasting Brit tourists describe cowering in their hotels and dodging ‘flaming-hot’ beaches as brutal Cerberus heatwave grips Europe
Tens of millions of people around the globe are battling dangerously high temperatures this week as meteorologists predict record heat forecasts.
Authorities have been sounding the alarm, advising people to avoid outdoor activities in the daytime and to be wary of dehydration.
Earlier this week, a man was said to have collapsed and later died in Lodi, near Milan, due to the extreme weather. Fires broke out in Croatia on Thursday, with houses and cars burnt down in at least one village.
Greece also struggled in the heat, with the Acropolis closed to visitors and the Red Cross handing out water bottles.
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 73, fell victim to the heat and was taken to hospital for apparent dehydration. He admitted that it was ‘not a good idea’ to be out in the sun without a hat or water. He added he felt ‘very good’ last night, but remained in hospital.
Another heatwave, called Charon, after the mythical ferryman to the underworld, is feared to be bringing more severe temperatures.
Europe experienced the hottest-ever summer on record last year, and analysis published in the journal Nature Medicine now reveals that more than 61,000 people died across the Continent due to heat.
But the European Space Agency has warned that ‘this summer is likely to be worse’.
The wildfire on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma is further progressing and regional president Clavijo warned on Saturday that the number of evacuees – currently 500 – could easily increase
‘With the resources that we are deploying, we hope we can control the fire on Saturday, but the winds are shifting,’ Clavijo said
He added: ‘More gusting winds are expected and, combined with the dryness of the terrain and the lack of rain, this situation is complicated.’
The fire coincides with a heatwave that is hitting southern Europe. Spain saw record high temperatures in 2022 and this spring as it endures a prolonged drought
Sun-lover David Campbell cools off by regularly dousing himself with water (pictured)
A young boy tries to cool off at a fountain at Syntagma Square amid scorching heat. Extreme temperatures have been forecast
Volunteers of the Hellenic Red Cross hand out bottles of water at the bottom of the Acropolis hill in Athens, Greece
A tourist at the Roman colosseum covers her head with a scarf from the hot sun as Rome experiences another sweltering day on Friday
Land temperatures – how hot the ground is to touch – in Spain reached upwards of 60C (140F) in parts of southern Spain on Thursday, with the European Space Agency warning next week could break continental records.
Extreme weather resulting from a warming climate is ‘unfortunately becoming the new normal,’ warned Secretary-General Petteri Taalas of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
In response, officials in several countries were preparing emergency measures, cellphone alerts and adjustments to staffing levels.
READ MORE: What’s causing Europe’s heatwave?
Italians Giorgia Bragion and Maria Romeo use a fan to cool off amid the soaring heat in Rome on July 14
In Athens and other Greek cities, working hours were changed for the public sector and many businesses to avoid the midday heat, while air-conditioned areas were opened to the public.
‘It’s like being in Africa,’ 24-year-old tourist Balint Jolan, from Hungary, said. ‘It’s not that much hotter than it is currently at home, but yes, it is difficult.’
The devastating effects of the heatwave has been seen across Europe, with wildfires ripping across Croatia and a 44-year-old road sign worker dying due to the heat in Italy.
The 44-year-old Italian man, who has not been named, collapsed on Tuesday due to the heat in the Italian city of Lodi, southeast Milan, as temperatures soared to above 40C (104F). The worker, who has not been named, later died in hospital.
‘We are facing an unbearable heatwave,’ Italian politician Nicola Fratoianni said.
‘Dying from the heat is unthinkable – we should be taking measures to avoid tragedies like this in the hottest hours of the day.’
Italian authorities have now urged people not to drink alcohol or travel unnecessarily to reduce risk.
In North Macedonia, the high heat triggered a spike in emergency calls for health assistance, while residents in Kosovo, which is also landlocked, flocked to an artificial beach near the capital Pristina.
Excessive heat is one of the deadliest meteorological events, according to the WMO. One recent study estimates over 61,000 people died from heat during Europe’s record-breaking summer last year.
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