Sarajevo/Belgrade - Swathes of southern and
eastern Europe sweltered in temperatures above 40 degrees
Celsius (104°F) on Friday in a heat wave nicknamed "Lucifer"
that has fanned forest fires, triggered weather warning alerts
and damaged crops.
Italy and the Balkans were worst affected, though areas as
far north as southern Poland also basked in abnormally hot
temperatures, and European weather hub Meteoalarm issued its
highest grade "red" warnings for 10 countries.
At least two people have died from the heat - one in Romania
and one in Poland - and many more have been taken to hospital
suffering from sunstroke and other heat-related conditions.
In Albania, 300 firefighters and soldiers struggled to
contain as many as 75 forest fires and the country asked the
European Union for emergency help. Firefighters were also busy
in Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Croatia.
With temperatures expected to stay around 40 degrees Celsius
into next week, authorities advised people to increase their
water intake and Red Cross volunteers across Europe visited the
homeless and elderly and other people at risk.
"This prolonged period of extremely hot weather is
particularly dangerous for people with existing health problems
such heart conditions, high blood pressure and asthma, as well
as older people and children," said Jeya Kulasingam, health
coordinator for the International Federation of the Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies in Europe.
"It is vital that people stay hydrated and drink plenty of
water, keep out of the sun and avoid over-exertion."
Wine growers in Italy have started gathering the grape
harvest weeks earlier than usual due to the extreme heat.
Carlo Petrini, founder of the Slow Food movement, wrote in
La Stampa newspaper that the grape harvest had never started
before Aug. 15 in living memory.
"The health of the grapes is severely tested by this
weather," Petrini wrote, adding that growers ran the risk of
finding the fruit "cooked by the sun and the burning heat".
Italian authorities have issued weather risk warnings for 26
cities, including tourist hubs Venice and Rome, where many of
the fountains have been turned off due to a lengthy drought.
The world-famous Uffizi art galleries in Florence had to
shut temporarily on Friday when the air conditioning system
broke down, their director told ANSA news agency.
In Hungary, keepers at Budapest Zoo provided huge ice blocks
to cool down two polar bears, who were also fed ice-cold water
melon.
Bosnian officials said the heat wave and drought had nearly
halved agricultural output, which accounts for 10 percent of the
country's economic output. Neighbouring Serbia reported a
similar situation and experts said drought could slash corn and
soybean production by a third.
In neighbouring Croatia the heat wave and peak tourist
season has driven power demand and spot prices to record levels,
officials said on Friday.
Temperatures along parts of Croatia's Adriatic coast,
including the major tourist hub of Dubrovnik, already stood at
around 32 degrees early on Friday morning and were expected to
nudge up to 42 degrees during the day, the weather service said.
The Red Cross distributed water and hand fans to people
suffering from the heat in Croatia – especially tourists
visiting outdoor events and motorists stuck in typical summer
traffic jams.
"In two hours of my shift today I saw four people fainting
on the street and complaining of heat exhaustion," a traffic
warden who identified himself as Goran told Reuters in the
Serbian capital Belgrade.