A forest fire has been brought under control on the Greek island of Corfu. International support has arrived in Rhodes in the fight against the huge fires that are still raging there. Extremely high temperatures are expected to drop from Thursday.
In Rhodes, emergency services continue to try to contain the fires in the southeast of the island. The Federal Foreign Office in Berlin supports German tourists there, and special flights are expected to bring many of them home.
To contain the week-long fires, the European Union and Turkey sent firefighting aircraft to Rhodes. The Egyptian government provides firefighting helicopters.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke in a televised parliamentary session of a war against the flames in which his country finds itself. This condition is due to climate change: “We definitely still have three difficult days ahead. We hope that the heat wave subsides, but it is certain that we will all have to be on constant alert in the coming days, in the coming weeks.
As of Thursday, temperatures are expected to drop from 40 to 45 degrees Celsius to around 35 degrees Celsius, which is normal for summer, for the first time in nearly two weeks.
Thousands are waiting to return
Satellite images from the island of Rhodes show the massive damage caused by the flames.
According to estimates, around 9,500 people were still housed in pavilions and schools or hosted by private individuals on Monday.
Many people are still trying to get home on special flights, as are seasonal hotel workers whose jobs are at risk.
The heat wave, and with it the fire, will continue for at least a few more days in southern and eastern Europe. Governments in several countries warn of the risks of travel, especially to forested areas. The risk of fire is classified as high above all in Spain, Portugal and France. Another reason is the ongoing drought.
In southern Spain, maximum temperatures are also expected to drop from around 40 degrees Celsius to just 30 to 25 degrees from Thursday.