Large Wildfire in Turkey Causes 8 Deaths... Wildfire Damage Across Southern Europe

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Large wildfires have been occurring one after another across Southern Europe, including Turkey, Greece, Italy, and Spain, resulting in thousands of displaced people. Especially in Turkey, where the damage is severe, 8 people have died and hundreds have been injured. Due to the effects of global warming, average temperatures have risen significantly, and dry weather has persisted, leading to an increase in wildfires caused by spontaneous ignition.

According to foreign media such as AFP on the 1st (local time), a large wildfire that broke out around Bodrum, a coastal resort city in southwestern Turkey, has so far resulted in 8 deaths and hundreds of injuries in Turkey. It is also reported that thousands of people have been displaced. In villages where land transportation is difficult, residents are evacuating by boat via sea routes, and evacuation orders have been issued in various places.

Wildfires are also occurring one after another in neighboring countries such as Greece, Italy, and Spain. Near Patras in western Greece, a large fire broke out on the 31st of last month, causing residents of five villages to evacuate, with dozens of houses burned and 15 people injured. In another beach resort, Logos, about 100 residents and tourists evacuated to nearby urban areas.

In Italy, more than 20,000 hectares of forest, olive groves, and farmland were damaged by fires that occurred last weekend in the Sardegna region. Local fire authorities reported that there were 800 fires this weekend, with 250 of them occurring in southern Sicilia. In Spain, a wildfire broke out near the San Juan reservoir, 70 km east of Madrid, on the 31st of last month, leading to restricted access for residents.

Rising temperatures due to recent global warming are cited as the main cause of the increasing wildfires. According to European Union (EU) statistics, 133 wildfires have occurred in Turkey this year, far exceeding the average of 43 during the same period from 2008 to 2020. The area affected by wildfires this year is 95,000 hectares, more than seven times larger than the average of 13,516 hectares during the same period from 2008 to 2020.