By Hanns-Jochen Kaffsack, DPA/Rome
Blazing heat, with temperatures rising above 40 degrees Celsius, is hampering the efforts of firefighters from Portugal to the Canaries and Montenegro to battle the flames devastating thousands of hectares of bush and forest.In places like Sardinia, the flames are not only driving out hundreds of village residents from their homes, but also tourists. If Mistral winds continue to push the flames forward, beaches may also be closed soon.It is normal for wildfires to rage in the Mediterranean region during hot summers.A carelessly discarded cigarette is enough to set ablaze an entire forest, forcing people to flee, destroying villas and sometimes leading to deaths among the firefighters.The northeastern coast of Sardinia, usually filled with tourists at this time of year, has been hit by fires south of Olbia. With huge flames flaring up along roadsides, screaming people fled the San Teodoro area. About 800 tourists and residents were on the run.“Despite our limited means, we were able to bring the people into safety without any major difficulties,” said San Teodoro’s Mayor Tonino Meloni.The mayor is calculating the extent of the destruction, which is estimated at between 700 and 800 hectares. Meanwhile, Canadair water bomber aircraft are circling above the charred area.The following day, fires in five different parts of Italy’s largest nature park make headlines. The Parco Pollino and its rare Bosnian Pine trees are threatened – once again – by flames. The fires may have been started by an arsonist – as was the case one sweltering July five years ago.Meanwhile, thousands of firefighters in Portugal were battling no fewer than 130 wildfires amid scorching heat.Extinguishing aircraft are in high demand also on the Spanish holiday island of Majorca, where flames have devoured about 60 hectares of forest. Here also, arson is suspected.On the Canary Island of Tenerife, fire has spread across more than 2,000 hectares, while 1,800 people were evacuated from the southern village of Vilaflor.Elsewhere, tourists in southern Montenegro fled a hotel complex due to flames after strong winds downed a utility pole. Several foreign embassies and diplomatic residences had to be evacuated near the capital Podgorica due to approaching flames during a heatwave.“We need to remain extremely alert,” said Domenico Pappaterra, the head of Italy’s Pollino national park. He does not want a repeat of 2007, when flames destroyed more than 6,000 hectares of the park’s forest and bush, while there were also dramatic fires in the Apulian Gargano area and on Sicily.“We have to avoid that now,” said Pappaterra. The politicians and civil defence in Rome have been warned. But the summer is still long.