Heat Wave Scorches Southern Europe: Acropolis Closes, Two Firefighters Die in Italy

(AP) - A severe heat wave across southern Europe forced Greek authorities to close the Acropolis for several hours on Wednesday and led to the tragic death of two firefighters in Italy’s Basilicata region, Italian authorities reported.

Italy added Palermo, Sicily, to the list of 13 cities under severe heat warnings. Elderly people in Verona were urged to stay indoors, and sprinklers were set up to cool passersby.

Greece’s Ministry of Culture ordered the closure of the Acropolis, the country's biggest cultural attraction, from midday for five hours. Tourists hoping to visit the Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis queued early in the morning to beat the worst of the heat, while the Red Cross handed out chilled bottled water and information fliers to those waiting in line.

“We got it done and got out quick, and now we’re going to find some air conditioning and enjoy the day,” said Toby Dunlap, who was visiting from Pennsylvania and had just toured the Acropolis. “But it’s hot up there, it really is. If you don’t come prepared, you’re going to sweat.”

Meteorologists said the hot air from Africa was forecast to continue through Sunday, with heat wave temperatures expected to peak at 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit).

In Albania, the heat led the government to reschedule working hours for civil servants, making it easier for some to work from home. Neighboring North Macedonia struggled with dozens of wildfires that had broken out in the previous 24 hours. One major blaze stretched across nearly 30 kilometers (21 miles). Firefighting aircraft from Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Romania, and Turkey responded to the country’s call for assistance.

In western Turkey, firefighters — aided by more than a dozen water-dropping aircraft — managed to bring a wildfire near the town of Bergama under control several hours after it ignited. The cause of the blaze, which was fanned by strong winds, was not immediately known.

The municipality of Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, issued a heat warning on Tuesday, stating that temperatures would rise between 3-6 degrees Celsius (5.4-10.8 degrees Fahrenheit) above seasonal norms until July 28.

Several Spanish cities, including Granada and Toledo, are bracing for temperatures as high as 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) forecast for later in the week in the country’s hottest spots in the south.

This heat wave, impacting multiple countries across southern Europe, underscores the urgent need for adaptation and mitigation measures to address climate change, as extreme weather events become increasingly frequent and severe.