Italy is facing a record heat wave this week.

The firefighters had to fight on the night of Wednesday to Thursday half a thousand fires that killed four.

"528 interventions have been carried out in the last twelve hours, including 230 in Sicily, where the situation is currently under control," the firefighters said in a statement.

A new casualty has been registered, bringing the death toll from the fires to four this week.

Anticyclone Lucifer

An anticyclone, aptly baptized Lucifer, is currently crossing the peninsula, causing thermometers to explode, with in particular a record temperature of 48.8 degrees recorded Wednesday in Sicily, which if approved would be a new European record.

Southern Europe is facing intense heat and serious fires this summer, a phenomenon set to intensify and worsen with climate change according to scientific experts.

This heat wave, which should last a few days, favors fires, especially in southern regions such as Sicily and Calabria (the tip of the Italian Boot). 

The charred body of a 79-year-old man was discovered near Reggio Calabria on Wednesday, and another man in Calabria, 77, died trying to shelter his herd from the flames, agencies said Italian press.

On Friday, a 53-year-old woman and her 35-year-old nephew died, still near Reggio Calabria, while trying to save the family olive grove.

About 50 volunteer firefighters from all over Italy were dispatched to help fight the flames.

In Calabria, where firefighters carried out around 100 interventions during the night, the situation is particularly difficult near the towns of Reggio Calabria (facing the Strait of Messina in the far south), Catanzaro and Cosenza (within the land).

With AFP

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