Greece shut the Acropolis for several hours in the afternoon on Tuesday, as the Mediterranean country baked in its second major heatwave of the season, with temperatures set to soar as high as 41 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, flights scheduled at Marseille Airport have been suspended after a wildfire raged close to the southern French port city, local authorities said.
Last week, large parts of western Europe sweltered in a severe heatwave that left eight dead and triggered forest fires and health alerts across the region.
In Athens, temperatures were expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius, forcing authorities to close the Acropolis, its most visited ancient site, on a rocky hill offering barely any shade, at midday local time. The temporary closure was due to last until late afternoon.
RM Block
Defying the heat, some tourists visited the monument before it shut.
“It’s extremely hot. So yeah, we had to take extra measures. We have little fans for the children. I have the hat, the glasses. We’ve been drinking lots of water,” said John Howell (58), a Scottish tourist.
With hot air and humidity worsening conditions, authorities ordered some businesses in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city, and other areas on the mainland and southern Peloponnese peninsula, to limit outdoor work for employees in the afternoon.
Builders, food delivery riders, couriers and shipyards workers are among those having to pause work from midday until 5pm to avoid heat stress, the labour ministry said.
In the south of France, the prefecture urged people in areas affected by the wildfires to stay indoors and off the roads on Tuesday.
With the fire approaching Marseille, the prefecture also advised residents in the northern area of the city to remain inside with doors and windows closed to prevent toxic smoke from entering their homes.
Live TV footage showed light smoke giving the sky over Marseille’s old port a dusty aspect.
Some 168 firefighters, two helicopters and 68 engines were deployed to tackle the fire, which broke out near the town of Les Pennes-Mirabeau, with 350 hectares hit.
There have been no reports of casualties.
Marseille airport announced that the runway had been closed at around midday.
Several weeks of heatwaves combined with strong winds have increased the risk of wildfires in southern France, with several breaking out over the past couple of days.
Separately, Spanish authorities ordered more than 18,000 residents of the northeastern Tarragona province to remain indoors on Tuesday and several dozen were evacuated as a wildfire raged out of control, consuming almost 3,000 hectares of vegetation.
Large parts of Spain are on high alert for wildfires after the country experienced its hottest June on record. Two people died in a wildfire on July 1st in the region of Catalonia where Tarragona is located.
The latest fire broke out early on Monday in a remote area near the village of Pauls, where strong winds and rugged terrain have hampered firefighting efforts, authorities said. An emergency military unit was deployed early on Tuesday alongside more than 300 firefighters working in the area.
“Since midnight, firefighters have been battling the blaze with gusts of wind reaching up to 90 kilometres per hour,” Catalonia’s regional firefighting service said, adding that the strong Mistral wind was expected to ease by the afternoon.
Overnight, fire engines raced the winding roads of the Pauls Mountains, surrounded by flames, as crews assessed and tried to contain the blaze.
Authorities said they had prevented the fire from spreading across the Ebro river, which would have worsened the situation. Approximately 30 per cent of the affected area lies within the Ports Natural Park, and officials are investigating the fire’s origins. – Reuters/AP
