According to Greek Reporter At most 52 forest fires were registered within a period of 24 hours in Greece.
This week, two people died after a fire helicopter crashed off the Greek island of Samos east of Greece.
16-year-old Elias Heen Eidet from Stabekk is on the Greek island of Kefalonia, which lies west of the mainland.
Turns off sex alarm on Gran Canaria
– Lots of smoke
As elsewhere in Southern Europe, the island has temperatures well over 30 degrees, and little or no rainfall.
On Thursday, the 16-year-old witnessed a forest fire break out on the other side of the island from where he and his family live.
– There is a lot of smoke, but not threatening from where I stand. But there is wind and the fire can develop, he explains by phone from the holiday paradise.
FIRE: Elias Heen Eidet saw the fire break out on the opposite side of the island. Photo: Private
sea view
The picture Eidet has sent Dagbladet shows a large cloud of smoke on the other side of the water for where the 16-year-old has taken the picture.
– There are houses near the fire, and a small village just below, I reckon they have been notified and evacuated, he points out.
He says that since there have been several forest fires in Greece recently, they have their eyes open.
– We are a little extra observant due to what has happened on other islands, he concludes.
sea view
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– Mortal
Several countries in southern Europe have been hit hard by the heat wave, which does not seem to be giving up right away.
In Spain, danger warnings have been issued in several regions, Italy has its worst drought in 70 years, while Portugal is experiencing its worst drought in 1200 years. On Sunday, more than 3,000 firefighters were involved in the extinguishing work, writes AP. In total, the forest fires have injured 29 people so far.
Norwegian expert: – The heat waves are deadly
– They are deadly, not only for nature and animals, but also for humans. There is a clear connection between the death toll in the summer and high temperatures, says climate researcher Tore Furevik to NTB.
Furevik points out that there is a lot of focus on bathing temperatures when the degree measures up to 30 degrees in Norway, but emphasizes that the very high temperatures that are in Southern Europe now can also affect Norway.
sea view
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– We see more and more often that the temperature reaches 30 degrees in Norway and drought in some places. Going forward, we can also experience the extreme heat that has now hit a number of Mediterranean countries, he says.
– What we see now is what the climate models have told us for twenty years, says Furevik.
– The heat means that there is less steam in the air and leads to less precipitation. This makes dry areas even drier, he continues.
– Really unusual
– More in the future
The heat waves also increase the risk of forest fires and can lead to impaired air quality, which also poses a health risk to humans, Furevik adds.
The combination of high temperatures and drought will be seen even more in the future, according to the climate researcher.
– Future heat waves will be even warmer and last even longer, says Furevik.
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