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Thousands of people forced to flee their homes as wildfires spread across Europe affected by heatwave | World News


Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes as wildfires continue to burn in Spain and France due to the ongoing heatwave.

Two people were killed in a fire in Spain with the country’s prime minister linking the deaths to global warmingsaid: “Climate change kills.”

That number is higher than the hundreds of heat-related deaths reported in the Iberian Peninsula, as high temperatures have enveloped the continent and caused wildfires from Portugal to the Balkans.

Several regions, including northern Italy, are also experiencing prolonged droughts.

UK weather – latest: UK could hit 41C – as RAF halts flights from biggest base after runway ‘melts’

In France, heat records were broken and hot winds were followed, complicating firefighting efforts in the southwest of the country.

Marc Vermeulen, head of the regional fire service, said: “The fire is literally raging, who describes tree trunks breaking apart as the fire consumed them, tossing embers of burning embers. the air and cause the fire to spread further.

“We are facing special and extreme circumstances,” he said.

Authorities evacuated more towns, moving another 14,900 people from areas at risk of finding themselves in the fire’s path.

In total, more than 31,000 people have been forced from their homes and vacation spots in the Gironde region since the bushfires began on July 12.

Firefighters work to contain a tactical fire in Louchats, as wildfires continue to spread in the Gironde region, southwestern France
Picture:
Firefighters work to contain a tactical fire in Louchats, as wildfires continue to spread in the Gironde region, southwestern France

Three additional planes were dispatched to join six others battling the fires, scooping seawater into their tanks and performing multiple runs through dense plumes of smoke.

More than 200 reinforcements joined a force of 1,500 firefighters fighting around the clock to contain the fires in Gironde.

Spain, meanwhile, reported a second death in two days as it battles its own blazes.

The body of a 69-year-old sheep farmer was found Monday in the same hilly area where a 62-year-old firefighter died a day earlier when he was trapped in flames in Zamora province. northwest.

More than 30 wildfires around Spain have forced thousands of people to evacuate and blackened 85 square miles (220 square kilometers) of forest and shrubland.

Passengers on the train through Zamora got a terrifying close-up of a fire as their train stopped in the countryside.

Video showed about a dozen passengers panicking as they looked out of windows as flames spread on both sides of the tracks.

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Trains besieged by wildfires in Spain

Nearly 600 heat-related deaths have been reported in Spain and neighboring Portugal, where temperatures hit 47°C (117°C) earlier this month.

The heatwave in Spain is forecast to ease on Tuesday, but the respite will be short as temperatures rise again on Wednesday, particularly in the arid western Extremadura region.

Read more:
Roads are closed, ‘frightening’ fires break out and drought hits as temperatures in Portugal soar
Heatwaves in pictures: Wildfires across Europe, drought and ice

The Balkans is expected to have its worst heat this weekend but sporadic bushfires have been reported.

Earlier Monday, authorities in Slovenia said firefighters had brought a blaze under control.

How to stay safe in the heat – official advice

Avoid the sun between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and avoid physical exertion

Drink plenty of water and avoid drinking too much alcohol

Close the curtains in the rooms facing the sun

Never leave anyone in a parked car – and check for elderly and vulnerable neighbors

Go in the shade, wear sunscreen and wear a wide-brimmed hat

Check medicines can be stored according to the instructions – and check that your refrigerator, freezer and fan are working properly

Watch the Daily Climate Show at 3:30pm Monday through Friday and the Climate Show with Tom Heap on Saturdays and Sundays at 3:30pm and 7:30pm.

It’s all available on Sky News, on the Sky News website and app, on YouTube and Twitter.

The program examines how global warming is changing our landscape and highlights solutions to the crisis.



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