Raging fire closes airport as tens of thousands forced to abandon trips

RAGING wildfires forced the closure of a major European airport this morning — as thousands of tourists were forced to abandon holidays because of blazes and the suffocating heatwave.

- Rachael Burford

Flames could be seen surrounding the runway near the Sicilian capital Palermo as its operator said firefighters were working to put out the blaze.

It came as the extreme weather continued to cause chaos in southern Europe, with scorching temperatures bringing an increased risk of fires and deaths. More than 30,000 British tourists with holidays booked to the Greek islands were in limbo as firefighters battled to control more than 80 wildfires that have been burning for the last week.

Some hotels on Rhodes could remain closed for two weeks or longer, travel agents fear, after they were damaged by the fires. Others have suffered catastrophic damage and there are doubts they will reopen this summer.

More than 5,000 Britons were stranded on the island yesterday after fleeing their hotels. Operators, including Jet2 and easyJet, have been bringing tourists back to the UK.

Meanwhile, in some eastern parts of Sicily, temperatures rose to 47.6C yesterday, close to a record European high of 48.8C recorded on the island two years ago. Today, 16 Italian cities were put on red alert by the government over extreme heat. These include Palermo and Catania, which have suffered power and water supply cuts in recent days which local officials have blamed in part on the heat.

Overnight a storm in Milan tore off roofs and uprooted trees, blocking roads and disrupting transport in the country's financial capital. Two women were killed in the northern Monza and Brescia provinces after being crushed by falling trees.