Wildfires Briefly Shut Dardanelles as Heat Blasts Europe (2)

Wildfires briefly shut the Dardanelles Strait to shipping on Monday, as extreme heat and strong winds fueled blazes across the Mediterranean.

The Dardanelles — a vital maritime chokepoint for oil and gas from the Black Sea and Central Asia — was reopened in the evening after being closed to allow firefighting aircraft to scoop up water from the sea to tackle nearby blazes.

Turkish firefighters contained wildfires ravaging its north Aegean coast, but towns and pine forests in Canakkale province are still threatened, and almost 2,900 residents have been evacuated, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Firefighters tackle a wildfire in Canakkale, near the Dardanelles Strait, in Turkey, on Aug. 11.

Source: Anadolu

Large parts of Europe ...