Europe heat wave drops Danube to lows, fuels Greece wildfires
Why it matters: Low river levels disrupted nuclear cooling and shipping as more than 500 firefighters battled flames near Athens.
A prolonged heat wave across Europe is driving drought, straining energy systems and worsening wildfire risks. On the Danube, exceptionally low water exposed a World War II German warship near Djerdap II, a dam between Romania and Serbia near Prahovo. Romanian authorities carried out a controlled explosion in the river to redirect cooling water to the country’s sole operating nuclear plant after two reactors were shut. In Bulgaria, low water did not cut output at a nuclear plant, but a cruise ship ran aground near Vidin and nearly 200 tourists had to evacuate. In Greece, a wildfire in Western Attica near Athens kept burning, with ERT News reporting that more than 500 firefighters and helicopters were working to contain it.