BRUSSELS: A heatwave, the worst in ten years, is sweeping across Southern Europe, triggering raging wildfires across verticals. Experts have linked wildfires to record-high temperatures as Europe is in the midst of the heatwave due to the heat dome which is a high-pressure bubble that traps heat within a certain area, according to reports.
Temperatures in Siracuse, Italy, reached 48.8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.The World Meteorological Organization said that it would be investigating the validity of this temperature report. If verified, it would become the highest temperature ever recorded in Europe.
Notably, Greece has been one of the badly affected countries, with over 100,000 hectares of forestry and farmland burned in less than two weeks, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. The Greek government said there have been nearly 600 fires since the beginning of August. The fires broke out as Greece was roasted by the most intense and protracted heatwave in around 30 years, with temperatures in many parts of the country reaching 42 to 45 degrees Celsius.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday that the country came across the biggest ecological disaster of the last few decades, as multiple blazes erupted across the country powered by the extended heatwave recently.
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