A thousand firefighters supported by ten water bombers were struggling on Friday to contain two forest fires in the Bordeaux region of southwestern France, which have already led to the evacuation of 10,000 people and ravaged pine forests. near the Atlantic coast.
The high heat and strong winds complicate the efforts of firefighters in this area. No casualties are reported in France at the moment, but cars and houses have been damaged.
One of the French fires is burning in the forest just south of the Atlantic seaside town of Arcachon, which is popular with tourists in the summer. The other occurred near valleys where there are several vineyards that had to contend this year with drier and warmer weather that experts associate with climate change.
More than 70 square kilometers have been incinerated by the fires, according to the local emergency service. The flames were burning for a fourth consecutive day on Monday. One of the fires was partially under control, but the even warmer weather and brisk winds expected over the weekend could complicate the situation.
Forest fires are also reported in southeastern France and north of Paris.
Portugal has been hit hard by forest fires this week. On Thursday, more than 3,000 firefighters supported by citizens determined to save their property fought across the country wildfires heightened by extreme temperatures and drought conditions.
Portuguese public television RTP reported on Friday that the area burned so far this year is already larger than that which went up in smoke in 2021. More than 300 square kilometers have been lost so far, mostly during the last week, we said.
The civil protection agency said a dozen fires were still raging on Friday, with those burning in the north of the country considered the most worrying.
Separately, officials announced that a new heat record was set for the month of July, when it hit 47 degrees Celsius on Wednesday in Pinhao, in the north of the country.
Spain, Croatia and Hungary also had to deal with forest fires this week. The Spanish sappers tried Friday, for a fifth consecutive day, to control a fire lit Monday by lightning in Las Hurdes, in the center west of the country. About sixty square kilometers have been incinerated so far.
Some 400 people from eight villages were evacuated late Thursday when the flames approached and threatened to spread to nearby Monfrague National Park.
The Spanish government testified on Friday to 17 fires that keep firefighters busy. In Catalonia, in the northeast of the country, leaders have restricted access to several mountainous regions to reduce the risk of fires.
European Union leaders warned last week that global warming is responsible for the very hot and dry summer the continent has been experiencing so far. They asked local leaders to prepare for wildfires.
In the Spanish city of Seville, one of the hottest places in Europe this week, unions have called for workers to be sent home. It has been over 40℃ in several parts of the country for a few days, and the heat wave is expected to continue next week.
Seville has become the first city in the world to take part in a pilot project that gives a name to heat waves and categorizes them, so as to better understand the threats they represent for health and how the population must protect themselves.
UK meteorological authorities warned on Friday that the unprecedented heat expected next week poses a risk of “serious illness and danger to life”.
For the first time in its history, the Met Office has issued an extreme heat “red warning” for Monday and next Tuesday, when the mercury is expected to approach 37℃ in the south of the country. The heat record for the UK ― of 38.7℃, set in 2019 ― could even fall.
The weather warning stretches between London and Manchester. It warns of a threat to life, disruptions to air and rail travel, and localized outages of essential services, such as electricity and telephone.