More than 80 wildfires have been reported around Greece between Monday and Tuesday evening, the Greek government said Tuesday, as the country grapples with a record-breaking heat wave that is forecast to continue through this week.
On Monday, the town of Langadas in northern Greece recorded a sweltering temperature of 117 degrees Fahrenheit (47.1 degrees Celsius)—close to the record of the hottest temperature ever recorded in the European Union of 118.4 degrees Fahrenheit (48 degrees Celsius), which was set in Athens in July 1977. Several other areas of the locations across the country recorded temperatures between 114 degrees Fahrenheit (45.6 degrees Celsius) and 115.2 degrees Fahrenheit (46.2 degrees Celsius) Monday, while Athens reached a high of 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius). Temperatures are expected to reach more than 113 degrees Fahrenheit in parts of the country this week.
The heat has contributed to a growing wildfire crisis across the eastern Mediterranean where unprecedented blazes are burning in multiple countries.
