Battle continues to contain Europe's wildfires as Spain sees surge in heat-related deaths
In this photo provided by the Spanish Military Emergencies Unit (UME) a firefighter works to extinguish a forest fire in the Monsagro area in western Spain.
Strong winds and hot, dry weather are frustrating French firefighters’ efforts to contain a huge wildfire that raced across pine forests in the Bordeaux region on Saturday for a fifth straight day, one of several scorching Europe in recent days.
Some of the worst fires have been in Portugal, where the pilot of a firefighting plane died on Friday when his plane crashed on an operation in the north east.
It was the first fatality in fires in Portugal this year, which have injured more than 160 people and forced hundreds to be evacuated from towns this week.
Fire season has hit parts of Europe earlier than usual this year after an unusually dry, hot spring that authorities attribute to climate change.
Some 3,000 firefighters backed by water-dumping planes are battling blazes in southern France, the president said.
President Emmanuel Macron said: "Three thousand firefighters from all over France are fighting the fires that are hitting the south of the country. I salute their courage and their commitment alongside elected officials. At the front, they save lives. We are thinking of them and of the evacuated residents."
Yesterday he thanked Greek firefighters who have provided assistance in international efforts to combat the blaze "A year ago, when Greece was facing terrible fires, we mobilized as Europeans. Yesterday, Greek firefighting aircraft arrived in the south of France to support the work of our firefighters."
More than 11,000 people have been evacuated from villages and campgrounds.
Firefighters managed to contain one of the worst fires overnight, near the Atlantic coast resort of Arcachon that is popular with tourists from around Europe, the regional emergency service said on Saturday.
But it added that “tough meteorological conditions” thwarted efforts to contain the biggest fire in the region, which started in the town of Landiras, south of a valley of Bordeaux vineyards.
They are focusing efforts on using fire engines to surround villages at risk and save as many homes as possible, Charles Lafourcade, overseeing the firefighting operation, told reporters at the scene.
The two fires have burned at least 9,650 hectares (23,800 acres) of land in recent days.
A similar scene is playing out in Portugal, where more than 3,000 firefighters battled alongside ordinary citizens desperate to save their homes from several wildfires that raged across the country, fanned by extreme temperatures and drought conditions.
The country’s Civil Protection Agency said 10 fires were still burning on Friday.
Portuguese state television RTP reported on Friday that the area burned this year has already exceeded the total for 2021. More than 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) of land has been burned, it said, most in the past week.
Across the border, Spain was struggling to contain several fires, including two that have burned about 7,400 hectares (18,200 acres).
In southern Andalusia, Spain, 3,000 people were evacuated from villages in danger from a blaze started near the village of Mijas in the province of Malaga. Around 200 firefighters supported by 18 aircraft tried to contain the fire. Authorities were investigating its cause.
For a sixth day, firefighters were also trying to bring under control a fire started by a lightning strike in the west-central Las Hurdes area. Some 400 people from eight villages were evacuated on Friday as the flames approached their houses and threatened to spread into nearby Monfrague National Park.
Croatia and Hungary have also fought wildfires this week, as have California and Morocco. Many European countries are facing exceptional heat this month also attributed to climate change.
Portuguese authorities said a July national high of 47C was registered in the northern town of Pinhao on Wednesday.
Temperature-related deaths have surged in Spain this week amid a heatwave that has kept temperatures above 40C in many areas.
According to Spain’s Carlos III Institute, which records temperature-related fatalities daily, 237 deaths were attributed to high temperatures from July 10-14.
That was compared to 25 temperature-related deaths the previous week.
In France, two fires raged out of control in the region around Bordeaux in southwest France for a third consecutive day, despite the efforts of 1,000 firefighters and water-dumping planes to contain them.
The fires have destroyed more than 3,850 hectares (9,500 acres) of forest and grassland, the regional emergency said. It said firefighters struggled to contain the fire because of high winds and the difficulty of accessing the heart of the fires. More than 6,000 people have been evacuated from French campgrounds and villages in recent days.
Efforts to put out wildfires ripping through Bordeaux's pine forests have also been held back by winds and hot weather.
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