"This is like a war, like a bomb exploded"

Eighteen charred bodies were found yesterday in a remote village in Greece where fires have been raging for days, while a heat wave across southern Europe has re-triggered red alerts.

Greek media reported, without citing sources, that the bodies south of the village of Avantas are believed to be actually migrants, since a popular route from Turkey to Greece passes through there.

Firefighters are also battling blazes in Spain, Italy and Portugal as the region experiences hot, dry and windy weather that scientists say is a result of climate change.

Temperatures in many parts of the region reach and exceed 40 degrees Celsius.

In the Greek port city of Alexandroupolis, not far from Avantas, dozens of patients, including newborns, were evacuated due to the fire. The ferry was turned into a makeshift hospital after 65 patients were evacuated from the University Hospital.

"I've been working for 27 years and I've never seen anything like this," medical technician Nikos Gioktsidis told Reuters. "There were stretchers, patients, infusions everywhere... this is like a war, as if a bomb exploded".

On Monday, the burnt body of a man, also believed to be a migrant, was found in the region, a police official said. Two new fires broke out near Athens.

"Weather conditions are extreme and will remain extreme in the coming days," said Fire Service spokesman Vasilis Vartakogianis.

Fifty-six firefighters arrived in Greece from Romania yesterday, while Athens expects help from the Czech Republic, Croatia, Germany and Sweden.

In Spain, where much of the country is on high or extreme fire alert, authorities are trying to stabilize a massive forest fire that has been raging on the island of Tenerife for a week.

That fire devastated 15 hectares of land in 000 municipalities and forced thousands of people to evacuate.

In neighboring Portugal, the authorities have declared the highest level of preparedness in over 120 municipalities in the north and in the central part of the country, as well as in some parts of the Algarve, a popular resort.

In Italy, around 700 people were evacuated after a fire broke out on the Tuscan island of Elba on Monday, firefighter Alessandro Vitalino told Reuters. So far, 14 hectares of land have burned.

Italy declared a red level of alert in 16 out of a total of 27 major cities, including Rome, Milan and Florence.

In France, the highest level of alert has been declared in four southern regions, allowing authorities to cancel public events and close public institutions.

Mountaineers have been asked to postpone their ascent of Mont Blanc, Europe's highest peak, as high temperatures create dangerous conditions.

Grape pickers in the wine-producing regions of southern France have been advised to start harvesting in the early morning hours to avoid the risk of heat stroke.

Arrests in Albania for causing fires

Albania is fighting a large fire near the western city of Lac, as the army and firefighters try to protect nearby settlements. Yesterday, the police showed a video of the arrest of a man whom Interior Minister Taulant Bala said was suspected of arson.

"The fire covered a huge area of ​​pine forest and is one of the worst this year," said Bala.

Defense Minister Niko Palesi said that 50 soldiers have been deployed, but that containing the fire remains a challenge due to the difficult terrain.

In another video in the southern city of Berat, police showed footage from security cameras showing two men starting a fire. They were identified and arrested.