Greece closes more tourist sites amid heatwave

STORY: Greece shut more ancient tourist sites in Athens on Thursday (June 13)…

And elderly people took refuge at designated air-conditioned spots.

That’s as the first heatwave of the summer persisted for a third day.

The famous Acropolis and other nearby tourist attractions were closed in the afternoon…

As winds from North Africa pushed temperatures towards 109 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius).

Many primary schools and nurseries across the country were also closed to protect students from the heat, which was expected to recede on Saturday.

In Athens, tourists stopped at drinking fountains to cool their heads and necks.

Locals like George Georgousis sat in air conditioned rooms set up by the city:

“In my years I have never seen such temperatures in June. I was a winter swimmer, for 21 years, I would swim in snow, but this is the first time I have seen such a summer.”

Firefighters who put out several wildfires on Wednesday (June 12) remained on high alert as strong winds were expected to hit several parts of the country.

And deputy mayor of Athens Olga Dourou said police were patrolling the city, along with drones:

“Climate change is here, scientists have been warning us for years, unfortunately we haven’t succeeded globally to see what can be done. At Athens city hall we have moved forward with planting thousands of trees.”

Greece is one of the most hard-hit countries by global warming in Europe.

In recent years, rising temperatures have fueled deadly fires and erratic rains.

Scientists warn that summer temperatures there could rise by an average of 2 degrees Celsius – that’s 35.6 Fahrenheit – by 2050.