On Thursday, wildfires caused explosions at an air force ammunition dump in central Greece that had been safely evacuated in advance, as strong gusts of wind caused flare-ups around the country.
The fires have raged across parts of Greece during three successive Mediterranean heat waves over two weeks, leaving five people dead, including two firefighting pilots, and triggering a huge evacuation of tourists over the weekend on the island of Rhodes.
Funeral services for the two airmen were to be held in northern Greece later Thursday and on the island of Crete on Friday.
According to reports, a blaze in the region of Volos, in central Greece, reached an ammunition dump outside a major military air base in Nea Anchialos, triggering a series of large explosions that broke windows in a surrounding area.
The air force said the site, north of the airbase, had been evacuated well in advance and no injuries were reported. Several villages in the broader area were ordered evacuated as a precaution.
The wildfire burned on two fronts and forced a section of Greece’s busiest highway to close for several hours, while national rail services passing through the area were delayed.
The World Meteorological Organization, a U.N. body, and a European Union climate change service reported Thursday that temperatures in the month of July set a new global record.
According to the EU agency that analyzes satellite data, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring ServiceWildfire carbon emissions, for July in Greece were the highest by a huge margin ‘ totaling over 1 metric megatons and doubling the previous record ‘ since records started 20 years ago.
An EU disaster response agency announced that it was sending two more firefighting planes, provided by France, to Greece.
