Fires threaten Greece cities as heatwave bakes Europe

Firefighters battled a blaze Thursday on the island of Crete that scorched forests and olive groves and forced over 1,000 to evacuate, while a fresh conflagration near Athens threatened homes, highlighting Greece's vulnerability to wildfire risks.

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Italy's health ministry issued red alerts for 18 cities as temperatures poised to soar as high as 38°C in major cities.

Temporary blackouts were possible with power consumption surging from the use of air conditioners, Italian Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin warned.

Swiss utility Axpo has shut its two reactor units at the Beznau nuclear power plant due to high river water temperatures.

Gale-force winds and aridity made for tinderbox conditions, hampering Greek authorities’ efforts to tame the fires, as much of Europe baked in an early summer heatwave linked to the death of at least eight people across the region.

A new fire broke out in the Athens suburb of Pikermi on Thursday afternoon, threatening many homes and prompting the evacuation of three settlements as more than 100 firefighters battled to extinguish it.

Thick grey smoke billowed over the area, close to the Athens international airport and Rafina, home to the capital's second largest port. The main avenue linking the suburb to Athens was closed to traffic.