Posted on 07/24/2007 2:03:01 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
BUCHAREST, Romania - Southern Europe sizzled under a heat wave Tuesday, with temperatures hitting triple digits for a seventh day in Romania, blazes forcing the evacuation of tourists in Croatia and Italy, and wildfires in Macedonia and Greece exploding shells from long-ago wars. At least 35 heat-related deaths were reported.
Romanian authorities warned residents to stay indoors during the midday heat in the capital of Bucharest, one of five counties put on high alert because of the weather.
At least 27 people have died in Romania since last week, with 12 deaths reported Monday, said Health Minister Eugen Nicolaescu. The victims, all over 70, collapsed in the street and had not taken precautions, such as wearing a hat, he said.
Some 870 people collapsed Monday from the heat and nearly 19,000 people contacted emergency services, Nicolaescu added.
As temperatures in Bucharest hit 105 on Tuesday, heavy use of air conditioning caused power outages in the city, and Finance Minister Varujan Vosganian said energy consumption had surged by more than 50 percent.
State institutions were closed in midmorning and operating into the evening to lessen the need for air conditioning. Employers provided free water and cut work schedules.
Temperatures are set to hover around 104 in the south and east Wednesday but will drop Thursday, forecasters said.
Dozens of fires raged in central and southern Italy, destroying hundreds of acres of forest, amid high temperatures and winds.
Two charred bodies were found in a burned car in Puglia, while two other people were suffocated by smoke on a nearby beach, the ANSA news agency said.
A firefighting plane crashed in Italy's central Abruzzo region Monday, killing the pilot and seriously injuring a crew member.
Fires forced the rescue of about 250 beach-goers by boat on the Gargano peninsula, above the heel of the Italian boot, where temperatures hit 107 degrees, ANSA said.
Firefighters put out a blaze on the Amalfi coast, while in Castel Gandolfo — where the pope has a vacation home he usually visits in August — 247 acres of forest burned and two hotels were evacuated, news reports said. Other fires were reported in the region that includes Naples, Sardinia and central Italy.
In Croatia, authorities evacuated 1,400 residents and tourists from the southern island of Solta.
Long-buried ordnance from wars past posed another, unexpected threat in fires sparked by the hot, dry weather.
In Macedonia, wildfires exploded some World War I shells, said Kostadin Popovski, head of an army mine division. Southern Macedonia was the scene of heavy fighting in the war, during a drive by Allied forces in 1916 to support Serbia.
"A lot of this ordnance could be set off by the high temperatures and there is a risk for large explosions," said Kostadin Popovski, head of an army mine division. "We have already had several explosions."
Fires raged near Macedonia's second-largest city, Bitola, killing one man. Rescuers saved 20 people from burning homes.
Thousands of firefighters and residents battled the huge blaze, while President Branko Crvenkovski mobilized army units.
"We managed to defend the city and now have the fire under control. There is no threat to Bitola any more," said Ivica Bocevski, a government spokesman.
Temperatures in Macedonia also reached 107 degrees amid a declared national emergency.
Old ordinance also exploded in northern Greece. Fires outside Kastoria ignited World War II shells, while others from the Greek Civil War of 1946-49 exploded in Epirus province.
Greek state services, including hospitals, remained on alert. Athens was expected to reach 113 degrees Wednesday, with high humidity and air pollution levels.
Greece's power consumption hit an all-time record Monday, state-run Public Power Corporation said. As three damaged power stations remained inoperative, officials asked for air conditioners to be set above 77 degrees, and Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas asked for restraint between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
A 75-year-old man died Monday in Corfu, probably of heat stroke, authorities said, and 13 others were hospitalized.
Several forest fires burned in northern Greece, while others were reported at Aegio, near the western city of Patras, and in Vrilissia, northern Athens. Two firefighters were killed Monday when their plane crashed in Evia.
In Serbia, about 2,500 acres of forest were also destroyed by wildfires, as temperatures reached record highs.
Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin for help. Russia had sent a firefighting plane to Serbia via Bulgaria, but it was used there and will fly to Serbia on Wednesday, authorities said.
Wildfires swept across Kosovo on Monday, as NATO peacekeepers and local authorities led evacuations. NATO sent helicopters over the weekend to help firefighters.
___
Associated Press writers Boris Grdanoski in Bitola, Macedonia, Llazar Semini in Tirana, Albania, and John F.L. Ross in Athens, Greece, contributed to this story.
Bulgarians cool off next to a fountain in the center of Sofia. Dozens of people across southern Europe have perished in a blistering heatwave while storms whipped the north of the continent and floods claimed four lives in Britain, officials said Wednesday.(AFP/Dimitar Dilkoff)
A thermometer shows the temperature in Tokyo during a heatwave, July 20, 2004. Tapping a barometer to check the weather may become a thing of the past after the European Parliament on Tuesday adopted new rules to scrap the use of mercury and protect the environment. REUTERS/Toshiyuki Aizawa/Files
A young man dives into the Moraci river to cool off during a heatwave in Montenegro's capital Podgorica, 23 July 2007. Heavy rain and extreme temperatures continued to batter Europe, with Britain caught in its worst floods in living memory while the Balkans sizzled in heatwaves that killed more than 30 people.(AFP/Savo Prelevic)
But Michael Moore said the Europeans have the best health care in the World! Can’t they even distribute rehydration electolytic solutions?
Discovery channel stopped by my house today to see the effects of global warming. Permafrost, you know. I said I have lived here 35 years and have seen no effects of global warming, but just the usual permafrost things. Sent him up the road to where somebody built a house about 40 years ago and dug a foundation rather than building on sleepers. Fascinating. Seems nobody is living in it anymore.
Time for Eastern Europe to buy air conditioners.
It is a small price to pay to know that they died to save the ozone from freon CFCs.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX SAT JUL 21 2007
THE HIGH TEMPERATURE YESTERDAY...FRIDAY JULY 20TH...WAS ONLY 84 DEGREES. THIS IS A NEW RECORD LOW MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR THE DAY. THE PREVIOUS RECORD LOW MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR JULY 20TH WAS 85 DEGREES AND OCCURRED IN 1967. FRIDAY`S HIGH TEMPERATURE IS 10 DEGREES BELOW THE NORMAL HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR.
I have a barometer with no mercury in it. We used to have a mercury barometer in chem lab, interesting thing. My bellows barometer works just fine.
Time to pull out of Europe...
The reason why Europeans have problems dealing with heatwaves is because they are so new. Heatwaves, just like floods, hurricanes, blizzards, and tsunamis, are all new phenomena that only started happening since January 20, 2001.
I pulled out of Europe forty plus years ago. They had a Winter Olympics and had to truck in snow. That was enough for me.
Shhh! Don’t jinx it! This is the mildest summer I’ve ever seen and I’m lovin’ it! :)
That also marks the date of when terrorists were created.
Sorry about that!
It has been very mild. Houston had a cool front come through yesterday. Right now it's 89F and 42% humidity. It should be 96F and 80% humidity.
That Al Gore... what a prankster!
It’s funny that Global Warming only appears to be happening in the places that are yelling and screaming about Global Warming.
It’s unseasonably cool here in Texas. Perhaps the Europeans should invest in air conditioners.
Gimme a break! It’s summer in July.
Nothing in this article has not happened during many many summers in the past 50 years....and surely before that.
The only “new” story may refer to Romania as we hardly had any reports coming out during Ceausescu’s era.
Meanwhile, Global Warming is doing in us Floridians.
We’ve had several hundred hurricanes this summer. There is hardly any land left above water. Just today I had to fight a sandcrab to sit on my toilet.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.