REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis
People watch a wildfire raging in the town of Rafina, near Athens, Greece on July 23, 2018.
Greece is in mourning.
At least 80 people are dead, some who tried to flee into the water to save themselves, as wildfires raged through the countryside and town toward the sea near Athens, Greece this week.
But the problem of dry and fiery conditions this summer isn't just one for the Greeks. The entire European continent has been suffering through blistering heat waves, and fires have roared through regions from the Arctic Circle down to the Mediterranean Sea.
It's all part of a trend with no end in sight. In a report from climate experts to the European Commission, released earlier this year, scientists predict that dry, hot conditions will fuel aggressive wildfires that could spread more easily across the Mediterranean as the region dries up. The damage may not end at the fire lines, and could have a dangerous impact on plant pests and diseases, too.
Take a look at what Europe's been dealing with, and the reasons why: