AP Features, June 25th, 2007
A heat wave pushed temperatures up to 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) in parts of Greece Monday, contributing to the deaths of three elderly people and causing record electricity consumption and limited blackouts, authorities said.
Temperatures reached 46 degrees Celsius (115 Fahrenheit) Sunday and were expected to remain high for a second week, reaching 43 degrees Celsius (109 Fahrenheit) in Athens.
The Health Ministry said three pensioners, aged 76, 84 and 103 died Monday of medical conditions aggravated by heat stroke in central and southern Greece.
The heat and dry conditions exacerbated a forest fire near the city of Thebes, some 70 kilometers (45 miles) north of Athens, with firefighters and six air tankers battling the flames.
In Athens and other cities, hospitals and municipal facilities were on alert, while other state-run public services were to close early, at noon, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Training at Greek army bases was also scaled back.
"Based on the forecasts, temperatures are expected to be very high for the next two days so we have taken these extraordinary measures," Interior Minister Prokopis Pavolpoulos said.
National electricity consumption exceeded 10,000 megawatts to hit a record high Monday, fueled by heavy air conditioning use, and causing limited power outages in greater Athens, the northern city of Thessaloniki and several Greek islands.
The government urged the public to avoid unnecessary energy consumption but insisted the national grid had been adequately strengthened to avoid widespread outages.
Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas joined ministry staff, handing out leaflets with advice on how to limit electricity consumption.
"We reached 10,363 MW today. That's a record," Nikos Stefanou, general secretary of the Development Ministry said. "We have about 800 MW in reserve ... The infrastructure has been bolstered significantly, especially in distribution."
He said that the system had been reinforced to withstand higher consumption levels, but that "of course there will be damage to parts of the network to overheated cables and similar problems."
In nearby Cyprus, a 72-year-old woman died of heatstroke, as temperatures on parts of the Mediterranean island reached around 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 Fahrenheit).
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Associated Press Writer George Psyllides in Nicosia, Cyprus contributed to this report
