Europe suffers deaths, injuries, evacuations as fires rage in south

Deaths and injuries were reported in Europe on Wednesday as firefighters battled blazes in Greece, Portugal, France and Italy, amid a blistering heatwave. Some 1,055 people have been evacuated, though the 900 emergency personnel are making significant progress in containing the fires, the agency said. Temperatures are also soaring to 47 degrees in some places that have suffered severe heat since early July. It is unclear, however, whether the higher mortality is related to the heat, as more people in Portugal died in June than during the same month last year, even without higher temperatures. Three firefighters and nine residents suffered mild injuries and were taken to hospital with breathing difficulties, state broadcaster ERT reported. Thick brown plumes of smoke could be seen early on Wednesday from almost all parts of Athens. Parts of the motorway linking the city to the airport were shut due to limited visibility. Later, Greek fire brigade spokesperson Ioannis Artopoios said 'the situation is a bit better,' in comments to broadcaster Skai. He added that the emergency services were seeking to 'surround' numerous patches still burning to douse them completely. More than 100 firefighters continued to battle the fire, officials said, with 500 residents in the Tuscan community of Massarosa brought to safety in recent hours. From the air, four firefighting aircraft and a helicopter are supporting the ground efforts, in an operation that began on Sunday. A further fire was reported in Florence. Firefighters were also battling a forest fire near the Italian-Slovenian border in the municipality of Doberdò, south of Gorizia, officials said. Images showed thick clouds of smoke billowing out of the woods. A section of motorway near Monfalcone, between Triest and Venice, had to be closed. The heatwave is also affecting Britain. Dozens of trains were cancelled or delayed across England on Wednesday because of problems caused by the extreme heat that came a day after record temperatures were registered throughout the country. Meanwhile Britain is bracing for more extreme weather, with a yellow warning in place for heavy showers and thunderstorms in parts of England that could bring disruption later on Wednesday.