The Acropolis is closing temporarily on Tuesday as soaring temperatures continue to grip Greece. The ancient citadel in the capital city of Athens — which contains many ancient Greek ruins — will shut from 13:00-17:00 local time (11:00-15:00 BST), the country's culture ministry said. Highs of 42C (107F) are forecast for parts of the European country on Tuesday and a category four wildfire warning, signalling a very high risk, is in place in several regions. It comes as wildfires were reported in other parts of the continent, including France and Spain's Catalonia region, weeks after they were hit by a deadly early summer heatwave. Changes to the Acropolis' opening hours were announced on Monday after extreme heat returned to Greece on Sunday. Its closure on Tuesday — with highs of 38C expected in the city — is not the first time extreme heat has shut the popular attraction — having done so in June and last July. Authorities said the closure was for "the safety of workers and visitors" at the site, which is visited by tens of thousands of people every day, totalling 4.5 million in 2024. The country's labour ministry has also imposed a mandatory five-hour work stoppage for manual, outdoor workers between 12:00-17:00 on Tuesday in the areas set to see the worst heat. The current heatwave is due to continue into Wednesday, with a high of 41C expected and the highest category five wildfire warning — signalling a state of alert and extreme risk — issued by the government. This will cover four regions: Attica, central Greece, the Peloponnese, and Thessaly. A category four warning has been issued for several other parts of the country. The heatwave will start to break on Thursday as temperatures are set to drop significantly. The public has been urged to remain vigilant and emergency services were on high alert, the country's civil protection said. This comes after 41 wildfires broke out across Greece on Monday, according to the country's fire service. Of those, 34 were contained early while seven remained active into Monday evening. Elsewhere, more than 18,000 people were ordered to stay at home in Catalonia on Tuesday as a wildfire raged in the eastern province of Tarragona, the government said. Spain's emergency military unit was deployed alongside 300 firefighters as high winds overnight fanned the flames, which have spread across nearly 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) of land. Several other parts of the country — which experienced its hottest June on record — are on high alert for wildfires. In France, Marseille Provence airport announced it was closing on Tuesday, due to a nearby wildfire that was spreading rapidly. Meanwhile, near the southwestern town of Narbonne, more than 1,000 fire fighters tackled another wildfire. Residents evacuated their homes, and a motorway linking France and Spain was shut. Much of western and southern Europe was hit by a scorching early summer heatwave, which saw thousands evacuated, and homes and business destroyed. Heatwaves are becoming more common due to human-caused climate change, according to the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It has said hot weather will happen more often — and become even more intense — as the planet continues to warm. — BBC
