Sicily wildfires: More than 1,500 evacuated, airport shut down as flames burn Palermo

Wildfires tore through Palermo, Sicily, on Monday, causing the airport in the Italian city to be temporarily shut down. More than 1,500 people were also evacuated.

This comes as a scorching heatwave has been sweeping Europe, bringing increased risk of fires and deaths.

The incident added to Sicily's travel misery at the peak of the tourist season. The island's main airport of Catania, Italy's fifth-biggest, was closed last week due to a fire in a terminal building and has reopened only for a few flights.

In some parts of eastern Sicily, temperatures rose to 47.6 Celsius on Monday, close to a record European high of 48.8 Celsius recorded on the island two years ago.

For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/9834863/cerberus-europe-heat-wave-naming/

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