Labourers barred from work, tourists kept from ruins as heatwave sears Greece, Balkans

ATHENS (Reuters) -Greece and the wider Balkans sweltered under the third heatwave of the summer on Tuesday, with labourers barred from work, tourists kept away from the ruins and firefighters battling blazes scattered across the arid countryside.

Couriers, food delivery riders and builders in and around Athens and other regions were ordered to pause work from midday until 5 p.m., as the temperature was expected to climb as high as 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 F), the labour ministry said.

In the Feneo area in Corinth in southern Greece, 185 firefighters with 50 vehicles were combating a strong forest fire, helped by 15 planes and 11 helicopters.

Two villages there were evacuated out of precaution as the fire raged. The governor of the surrounding Peloponnese region, Dimitris Ptochos, said the situation was difficult, local media reported.

Greece has long been known for the hot, sunny summers that attract tens of millions of tourists every year. But climate change has led to longer and more severe heatwaves, as well as destructive floods and wildfires.

Authorities said they would shut the ancient Acropolis ruins, Greece's most-visited tourist site atop a rocky hill above Athens, for five hours from midday on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Matthew Enos, an 18-year-old visitor from New Orleans, said he had not been prepared for such a heatwave when he arrived in the capital.

"It's been a little tough so far. Not the greatest feeling ever," he said. "So I've just been adapting by drinking lots and lots of water."

COWS GRAZE AT BOTTOM OF EMPTY LAKE

Tourists sought out air-conditioned restaurants and stores in Athens, one of the most densely populated capitals in Europe, which bakes on a plain flanked by mountains. The heatwave will continue until Sunday, the Greek meteorological service said.

Scorching heat also gripped neighbouring Bulgaria, with authorities urging businesses to give away water and cut physical labour during high-risk hours.

On the border between Kosovo and Albania, weeks without rain and increased hydroelectric power production nearly emptied Lake Fierza. Cows ate grass in what used to be the lake bottom.

In Kosovo, flames and thick smoke could be seen approaching houses in a village in the Dubrava area near a jail and a military base on Tuesday. The fire was out of control in an area of scrubland and grass, fanned by heavy winds.

Elsewhere in Kosovo, Milazim Duraku, a 62-year-old farmer from Prizren, chided younger workers for seeking shelter as he picked yellow peppers for sale at market the following morning.

"Those youngsters they can't stand the heat. They work only a few minutes in the evening or in the morning," he said.

In Albania, firefighters assisted by four aircraft from Italy and Greece battled two wildfires at a national park in the north and near the southwestern village of Dukat. 

Last month, large parts of Western Europe sweltered in another severe heatwave that left many dead and triggered forest fires and health alerts across the region. 

In Italy, where last month's heatwave was blamed for several blackouts including in Florence and Milan, the high temperatures drove electricity consumption in June up 7.4% year-on-year, national power grid operator Terna said on Tuesday.

Around the world, 2024 was the warmest year on record, with temperatures exceeding 1.5 degree Celsius above the pre-industrial era for the first time.

Research published last week showed that the soil surface temperature around Athens rose in some places by as much as 10 degrees Celsius since July 2024 after fires destroyed vegetation.

(Reporting by Stamos Prousalis, Angeliki Koutantou and Fatos BytyciAdditional reporting by Alvise ArmelliniWriting by Angeliki KoutantouEditing by Aidan Lewis and Peter Graff)