Pope prays for victims of wildfires in Greece

By Nathan Morley and Christopher Wells

Pope Francis also expressed his concern for the “devastating fires” that have broken out in Greece.

The Holy Father noted that “Tens of thousands of people have already been evacuated, many families have been left homeless, thousands of people are facing terrible hardship and, in addition to the immense material damage, an environmental disaster is being created.”

He said he is praying for victims, and affirmed his closeness “to all those suffering from this serious situation, trusting that they can be helped with common solidarity.”

Battling the blaze

Firefighters have managed to bring the wildfires raging in Greece under control.

During the blaze, nearly 700 firefighters, assisted by 29 fire-fighting airplanes and helicopters, 190 fire trucks, the armed forces and volunteers are battling the fire.

Earlier, Greece activated the EU's civil protection mechanism. Almost immediately, additional help came from Italy, France, the Czech Republic and Romania.

EU bolsters firefighting capabilities

Earlier this week, the European Union launched the production of 12 planes to fight the rising numbers of wildfires. Southern Europe is repeatedly devastated by wildfires during the blistering summer months, and climate change is expected to make that risk even worse.

The European Commissioner for Crisis Management said as wildfire seasons become longer, more deadly and unpredictable, the bloc had been working to bolster the EU's firefighting response capacities.

The aircraft will be based in Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.

Elsewhere, Serbia is enduring an extreme heatwave, with temperatures predicted to climb between 35 and 41 degrees Celsius until the middle of August.