Twelve Romanians died and firefighters, soldiers and volunteers continued to battle wildfires across Southeastern Europe yesterday as a heat wave broke temperature records across the Balkans.
There was a blackout in many parts of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and some parts of Albania as power grids struggled to cope with temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and an increased load from air conditioners.
In Romania, new deaths pushed the toll from the heat wave up to 30. After forecasts of easing temperatures, health officials were preparing to downgrade emergency measures from “Code Red,” although in some parts of the country temperatures soared to an all-time record of over 44C (111F). Some 19,000 Romanians have been admitted to hospitals in the region’s second devastating hot spell this year. Serbia battled 50 forest fires on what meteorologists predicted would be the hottest day of the year, with the temperature topping 43C (109F). “We hoped a Russian water-bomber would arrive in the morning, but they had to go help in Bulgaria where the situation is critical,” said Predrag Maric, chief of Serbia’s police rescue department.
Forest fires continued to rage across Bulgaria. Temperatures hit 44C in some southern areas in what meteorologists say was the hottest year on record in 120 years. In FYROM, temperatures hit an all-time record of 45C (113F). One man died of smoke inhalation in the southern town of Bitola and 200 were evacuated from a suburb.
(Reuters)