Greece wildfires: firefighters tackle blazes on Rhodes, Corfu and Evia – live

Latest news: thousands of locals and holidaymakers affected by fires as heatwave continues

Greece: wildfires break out on Corfu and Evia as 19,000 flee Rhodes blazesTell us: how have you been affected by wildfires in Greece?

Some commentators have pointed to the potential for arson to be a cause of the wildfires as a form of “gotcha” to those warning wildfires are made more likely – and more deadly – by the climate emergency.

Scientists have addressed this. While ignition may not be caused by a warming planet, the area being hotter and drier due to climate breakdown makes the development of a wildfire more likely. Prof Stefan Doerr, the director of the Centre for Wildfire Research, Swansea University, says:

I have not heard about any specific causes of ignition for these fires. The media often focus on these, however, during times of extreme fire weather (very dry vegetation, very high temperatures, low air humidity and strong winds) any ignition can rapidly turn into a fast moving wildfire.

That could be faulty power lines, small intentional fires to burn debris getting out of control, sparks from moving machinery or building activity, arson etc.

Under climate change, what’s changing is the frequency of the weather conditions that enable fires like this to break out, and also to burn so intensely and synchronously across the Mediterranean.

The Mediterranean has seen a dramatic increase in the frequency of the hot, dry conditions that were considered extreme at the end of the last century, and these increases are expected to accelerate for each added degree of warming in future.

We understand how difficult this experience has been for many, and our entire focus is on looking after our customers. We have a significantly expanded presence in Rhodes, with a huge team of experienced colleagues providing all the support we can for our customers, whether that is in affected areas or at Rhodes airport.

We have also put on three repatriation flights to bring our customers home, which is on top of our scheduled programme of flights that will continue to operate from Rhodes to the UK this week. We are continuing to make decisions in the best interests of our customers, and we are keeping everything under constant review.

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