European Union rushes firefighters to Greece as grueling Mediterranean heat wave takes toll

By DEREK GATOPOULOS, NICOLE WINFIELD and DAVID BRUNAT
Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Firefighting aircraft and ground crews from several other countries are heading to Greece as wildfires intensify during a relentless heat wave. Southern Europe’s second heat wave in two weeks have kept temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, or about 104 degrees Fahrenheit, in many places. Evacuations from Greece’s capital continued on Thursday. Firefighters are in a round-the-clock battle to preserve forests, industrial facilities, and vacation homes around Athens. Southern Greece is expected to get as hot as 44 degrees Celsius, or 111 Fahrenheit, by the end of the week. The president of the Italian Society of Environmental Doctors warned aging populations are a concern because heat-related deaths most commonly happen in people older than 80.