Wildfires engulf the woods near the village of Pournari. Photograph: Spyros Bakalis/AFP/Getty Images
Extreme heatwave live: EU to send planes to Greece to battle wildfires; Phoenix braced to break heat record
EU has announced to help combat wildfires in Greece; Arizona’s state capital expecting 19th day of highs of at least 110F
Erum Salam (now); Gloria Oladipo, Kevin Rawlinson, Damien Gayle, Rebecca Ratcliffe and Helen Sullivan (earlier)
Tue 18 Jul 2023 12.56 EDT
EU to send firefighting planes to Greece
Helena Smith
The EU has announced it will weigh in with help to combat wildfires in Greece after Athens requested support from fellow member states, reports Helena Smith, the Guardian’s correspondent in Greece, Turkey and Cyprus.
European Commission spokesperson Janez Lenarcic said four Canadair firefighting planes would be dispatched to the country from Italy and France after activation of the bloc’s civil protection mechanism.
Blazes on several fronts in the greater Athens area have stretched forces thin despite Greek authorities already being assisted by Romanian firefighters.