The fire brigades of countries such as France, Portugal or the United Kingdom are fighting against the clock against the hardness of the flames while the thermometers indicate forty degrees
The heat wave is hitting Western Europe with violence, where the fire extinguishers from France, Portugal and the United Kingdom are fighting against the clock against the harshness of the flames. Thermometers break temperature records this Sunday with numbers that will rise in the coming days. A scenario that scientists directly relate to climate change, as greenhouse gas emissions increase in intensity, duration and frequency, scorching the continent.
Four days after flames were fanned in France, major fires declared by the heat wave forced the emergency evacuation of “more than 14,000” residents and tourists, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said. The worst situation is near Bordeaux, where two major fires, which have intensified in recent hours, have destroyed two cities since last week. The Landiras and La Teste outbreaks have already destroyed more than 10,000 hectares since last Tuesday. This Sunday, some 1,200 firefighters continued to fight the flames after a long night in which much of the contingent was exhausted.
In Landiras, the Girondin Federation for the Defense of Forests from Fires and forestry companies create firebreaks to limit the spread of fire, while in La Teste, firefighters protect summer camps and homes. “We are working on the sides to provide a solution. This is surveillance at all times, day and night, there is no rest,” reports the communications manager of the departmental fire service of Gironde, Laurent Dellac.
According to the meteorological service of Météo-France, which has placed 37 departments in an orange state, it has already risen 40 degrees in several parts of the country. The agency, which warned that “the heat is increasing, the wave is spreading across the country”, expects Monday to be the “hottest day for the west of the country”. In Brittany, Lower Normandy, Occitanie and Aquitaine, thermometers could exceed 40 degrees.
The situation has changed somewhat in Portugal, which has emerged from the declared emergency due to the fires, but authorities remain alert to the possibility of new outbreaks, Interior Minister José Luís Carneiro said. This Sunday, only a major fire was considered active, near the municipality of Chaves, in the far north of the country, which civil defense says is “practically under control” at 90%. Nevertheless, almost the entire Portuguese territory is subject to a maximum, very high or high fire risk. It should be noted that the flames destroyed between 12,000 and 15,000 acres.
Even in the United Kingdom, where the government declared the first national emergency due to extreme heat, thermometers are not falling, a warning that the British weather agency says poses “life-threatening”. Nevertheless, the worst is not over yet. Temperatures above 40 degrees are predicted for the first time in the south of England on Monday or Tuesday.
Fires caused by the worst drought in 70 years and an extreme heat wave are raging across the Italian peninsula, where temperatures in many northern cities are expected to rise to 42 degrees next week. Firefighters battled a blaze yesterday that hit a forest near San Polo dei Cavalieri, about 45 kilometers from Rome, where some families were evacuated.
In Greece, after evacuating seven towns on the island of Crete as a precaution, the civil defense has announced that the fire declared Friday in the area is “under control”.
Source: La Verdad
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