Heat, drought, drought, fires: in southern Europe, the extremely high temperatures remain a huge challenge for the population and emergency services. In terms of magnitude and length, the current heat wave in Spain will be one of the longest since records began in 1975. There is a heat alarm in 16 of Spain’s 17 autonomous communities. Fires continue to break out in the Iberian Peninsula. In France, more than 5300 hectares of land fell victim to the flames, in Greece 264 forest fires were registered within a week.
According to the Spanish newspaper “El Pais”, the worst is over, “at least four very hard days are ahead,” the newspaper warns. The regions of Andalusia in the south and Extremadura in the west of the country are hard hit: in the shade temperatures reach 44 or 45 degrees Celsius. Only the Canary Islands are spared extreme heat. According to meteorologists, the blistering heat period in Spain and the south of France should end at the earliest on Tuesday.
Spanish regions where at least 35 degrees Celsius is expected by Sunday:
Combined with weeks of drought and strong winds, the heat in Spain and neighboring Portugal is favoring the outbreak and spread of forest fires. Fire, military and civil defense fought numerous fires on Thursday, but so far authorities have not been too concerned.
Wind drives fires to residential areas in France
France also said the current heat wave was particularly intense and prolonged. The orange heat warning level applies in eleven departments and temperatures of around 40 degrees are expected in some places on Friday. Forest fires are still raging on the French Atlantic coast south of Bordeaux. More than 5,300 hectares of land have now fallen victim to the flames and more than 10,000 people have been rescued. The last concern was the wind, which drove the fire into populated areas.
A rapidly spreading forest fire was reported south of Avignon on Thursday afternoon. Civil Defense warned of a particular fire hazard in the Rhone Valley there, where the Mistral is likely to rage over arid areas on Friday and Saturday.
State of emergency in Italy due to drought
Italy has been struggling with drought for weeks. The government therefore declared a state of emergency in five northern regions along the Po River, with other regions to follow. Wildfires and wildfires keep happening. On Thursday evening, the fire brigade announced that it had fought a large forest fire near Genoa. There is still a fire risk in Sicily and Sardinia.
2,500 fires in Greece since the beginning of May
In Greece, the fire service again warned on Friday of a very high risk of forest fires in certain areas. The warning level four out of five applies to Athens and the surrounding area as well as to the northeast of the Peloponnese peninsula and islands such as Crete, Lesvos and Samos. According to rescue services, there have been 264 wildfires in the past seven days alone – that’s nearly 2,500 since the fire season started in early May.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
