Southwest Europe was in scorching heat on Friday. The heat caused devastating wildfires and forced thousands to flee their homes.
As Britain prepared for the ‘extreme heat’ in coming days, Britain’s firefighters fought fires in Spain, Portugal, and France. Even Irish forecasters warned of blistering Mediterranean temperatures.
The French President Emmanuel Macron pledged that authorities will do all they can to mobilize resources for fighting the fallout. However, the Bordeaux Public Prosecutor stated that a criminal’ origin was the main line of investigation in relation to at least one incident near Bordeaux.
Scientists blame climate change for the latest outbreak of severe weather, which is expected to continue into the next week.
Five regions of Portugal’s north and centre – temperatures reached a record July 47 Celsius Thursday, before falling back – were placed on red alert Friday after more than 2000 firefighters responded to four large fires.
The helicopter sprays water on a forest fire near Malaga in southern Spain.
Pictured yesterday: A firefighter responding to a forest blaze in Baiao’s north, Eiriz.
A fire broke out in southern France yesterday, consuming at least 1,000 ha of Montagnette Forest south of Avignon.
Two wildfires broke out in Bordeaux, southwest France yesterday. They forced 10,000 residents to evacuate and destroyed more than 7,000 acres of land.
South western France’s high temperatures have made it difficult to fight fires due to strong winds and the severity of their effects.
The helicopter seen from Alhaurin de la Torre is flying over the wildfire at Sierra de Mijas in Malaga
Two wildfires have already ravaged the Gironde region in southwestern France, causing more than 10,000 ha of destruction.
This image was submitted by Gironde Fire and Rescue Departmental Service. It shows the wildfire that erupted in Landiras (southwestern France).
After wildfires erupted in France, thousands fled their homes.
Due to extreme weather, many holidaymakers have abandoned the area.
The civil defense said that a plane, which was fighting forest fires in Braganca, crashed Friday close to Vila Nova De Foz Coa, northern Portugal. It killed its pilot.
The fires claimed the lives of one victim and left 60 injured as of Thursday evening. According to authorities, nearly 900 people have been evacuated.
The largest land loss since the terrible 2017 summer in Portugal when over 100 people perished, was 30,000 ha (75,000 acres) due to wildfires.
A fire broke out in Spain on Thursday, with temperatures reaching 37C at 7 AM.
Spanish officials reported that close to twenty fires were still burning, one of which was near Mijas, in the deep South, just inland from Malaga regional capital. This forced 2,300 residents to flee their homes.
Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish Prime Minister tweeted that he is ‘closely watching’ active fires and that they pose an ‘extreme threat’.
Mijas in northern Spain activated yesterday’s first level of Emergency Plan for Forest Fire Emergency as the fire was spreading from noon.
Ancede Village residents look out at the trees that are engulfed by flames during the wildfire in Baiao municipality, northern Portugal.
Helicopter works to contain wildfires during second heatwave in Spain, near Guadapero.
Ancede Village is engulfed by flames during wildfires in northern Portugal’s Baiao municipality.
Mijas is a southern Spanish forest fire. A helicopter floods the flames with water
The view from Landiras of trees bristling in the flames of a wildfire, southwest France
Spain’s mercury hit 45.4C on Thursday. It was just below the record high of 47.4C recorded in August 2013.
Fires in southwestern France have caused the destruction of 7,700 ha since Tuesday. 11,000 people were evacuated. This includes many tourists who chose to leave their holiday rather than stay in temporary shelters provided by authorities.
Southern France is facing temperatures of around 40C Friday and 16 departments are on severe alert.
Authorities in the Mediterranean reported that one person died from forest fires during which time an additional victim was discovered dead in Northern Morocco. Authorities evacuated hundreds from the more than dozen northern Moroccan villages.
A fire broke out in the pine forest near France’s Dune du Pilat. This is Europe’s highest sand dunes and attracts tourists.
Karyn, a resident of Cazaux village close to the dunes said that she had never witnessed it before.
Fires in southern France caused the destruction of 7,700 ha and forced 11,000 people to evacuate.
Many holidaymakers in southwestern France decided to abandon their vacation rather than remain in makeshift shelters set up by local authorities (pictured: a wildfire near Landiras in southwestern France yesterday)
The wildfire that destroyed 300 hectares forest in Tarascon (southeastern France) caused a tree to be burned.
The tree eventually came tumbling down and its branches burned in the Montagnette forest
The wildfire that scorched the Avignon area left behind a large flame of earthenware in its wake, was put out by firefighters.
This photo shows the burnt vegetation from a wildfire that occurred south of Graveson. It is located in southern Franc.
In Casas de Miravete, western Spain, flames can be seen amid the heatwave’s second year.
A wild boar runs through charred grasslands after a wildfire in the vicinity of Casas de Miravete, Caceres, in western Spain
Laurent Dellac the Fire Commander spoke of “tunnels” around Teste-de-Buch. This is in the middle Bordeaux forest’s southwest. But nobody was injured.
Matthieu Jomain spoke out to AFP, saying that ‘the blazes are not under control’ and “Unfortunately, conditions are windy again.”
Meanwhile, Britain’s Meteorological Agency issued the first ever’red warning’ for unusual heat. Nights were extremely warm.
Met Office forecasts that Monday or Tuesday will see temperatures exceeding 40C, with a 50% chance for it to happen. The Met Office also predicts an 80 percent likelihood of breaking the nation’s 2019 record of 38.7C.
UK hospitals warn of an increase in heat-related deaths and train companies advise passengers that cancellations are possible.
A weather advisory was issued by the Irish meteorological agency for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with “exceptionally warm” weather.
The wildfire spread in an area near Cazaux lac (near La Teste-de-Buch) causing a restaurant to burst into flames.
Firefighters battle a forest fire in the vicinity of Eiriz, Baiao (northern Portugal).
Firefighter and rescuer struggle to extinguish the forest fire in Baiao (northern Portugal).
After yesterday’s wildfire, huge areas of burned earth were left in the Baiao region of northern Portugal.
Met Eireann reported Monday that a high temperature of 32C was possible, just short the record 33.3C in Ireland.
Belgian authorities predicted much warmer temperatures in the next week with 38C forecasted for some areas of the country on Tuesday.
Scientists attribute the rise in frequency of heatwaves to global warming.
Friederike Otto is senior lecturer on climate science at Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute.
She stated that ‘greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas are making heatwaves more intense, lasting longer and more frequently’.