European countries such as France, Spain and Portugal are struggling with huge forest fires this summer. Tens of thousands of hectares of forest have already been destroyed. The fires in Bordeaux are no longer expanding for the time being, in the Czech Republic a forest fire on the border with Germany has now been extinguished after 20 days.
The fire front in Bordeaux is 40 kilometers long. On Friday, the fire service in southwestern France reported a first success. The fire in the departments of Gironde and Landes did not spread much overnight, says Ronan Léaustic, Arcachon’s chief administrator. The fire brigade has another difficult day ahead of the fire due to the great heat and drought.
10,000 people brought to safety
Since Tuesday, the fire has destroyed 7400 hectares of pine forest. 10,000 people had to be taken to safety, some for the second time. According to the French authorities, 65 firefighters from Germany arrived in the forest fire area with 24 vehicles on Thursday evening. Further support came from Romania, Poland and Austria. Greece and Italy help with firefighting planes.
Due to extreme drought and historically low rainfall, major forest fires are currently raging in several regions of France. Temperatures of 38 to 41 degrees were expected on Friday, with maximum temperatures of 37 degrees in the Bordeaux region. Portugal in the Serra da Estrela Natural Park and Saxon Switzerland (Germany) are currently experiencing further forest fires. Until Friday this was also the case in the Czech Republic in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park.
Czech Republic: fire extinguished after 20 days
The firefighters were able to extinguish the fire at the border with Germany after 20 days. In total, about 6,000 helpers were deployed and 1,060 hectares of land were destroyed. Hundreds of people had to leave their homes. Volunteer firefighters monitor the area to prevent the fire from breaking out again. The cause of the fire is being investigated.
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.
