Acropolis shuts as heat wave scorches Greece, Balkans

ATHENS — Greece and the wider Balkans sweltered under the third heat wave of the summer on Tuesday, with laborers barred from work, tourists kept away from the iconic ruins and firefighters battling blazes scattered across the arid countryside.

Couriers, food delivery riders and builders in and around Athens and other regions were ordered to pause work from midday until 5 pm, as the temperature was expected to climb as high as 43 C, the labor ministry said.

In the Feneos area in southern Greece, 185 firefighters with 50 vehicles were combating a strong forest fire, helped by 15 planes and 11 helicopters. Two villages were evacuated as a measure of precaution as the fire raged. The governor of the surrounding Peloponnese region, Dimitrios Ptochos, said the situation was difficult, local media reported.