Europe battling wildfires; evacuations and health warnings issued as temperature soars

As blaze scorched parts of France, Spain, and Portugal on Friday, scores of people were forced to flee their homes, and health advisories have been issued all across the European continent as temperatures spiked. According to the Associated Press report, the Bordeaux region of southwest France is encountering two wildfires that have prompted the evacuation of 11,300 people and destroyed pine forests close to the Atlantic coast. Despite being hampered by high temperatures and gusty winds, nearly 1,000 firefighters and 10 water-dumping aircraft were working round the clock to contain the blazes on Friday. 

It is pertinent to mention here that this week, wildfires have been extremely destructive in Portugal. More than 3,000 firemen fought alongside common Portuguese citizens who were desperately trying to protect their houses from a number of wildfires that raged around the nation. Fuelled by the severe heat and drought conditions, ten fires were still burning on Friday, according to the nation's Civil Protection Agency, with those in the north posing the greatest threat. 

Health warnings to Europe

Authorities in Portugal have said that the hottest day of the year till now would be a July national high of 47 degrees Celsius, which was recorded on Wednesday in the northern town of Pinhao. 

According to a report on Friday by Portuguese national broadcaster RTP, this year's fire damage has already surpassed that of 2021. As per the report, more than 30,000 hectares of land had burnt, mostly in the previous week. 

Apart from this, fire tenders in Spain have been struggling to put out a fire that was ignited by a lightning strike in the west-central Las Hurdes area and has burned across around 5,500 hectares for the fifth day. Late on Thursday, 400 residents from eight villages were forced to evacuate as the flames grew closer to their homes and posed a threat of spreading into the adjacent Monfrague National Park. According to the government, 17 wildfires on Friday in Spain have been keeping the firefighters busy. Authorities in northeastern Catalonia banned entry to a number of mountainous regions to prevent potential fires, Associated Press reported.  

Besides Spain, Portugal and France, other European nations such as Croatia and Hungary have also battled wildfires this week.  

UK red extreme heat warning

Meanwhile, a considerable portion of England has received the first severe heat weather warning from the Met Office, which anticipates widespread consequences on people and infrastructure on Monday and Tuesday due to an unusually hot period, the Independent reported. Met Office spokesperson Grahame Madge said, "We have just issued a red warning for extreme heat for Monday and Tuesday which is the first such warning ever issued." The excessive heat might result in a "potentially very serious situation,” Met Office warned.  

Notably, from London up to Manchester and then up to the Vale of York, the alert is in effect. Ministers claimed the NHS has been prepared for a "surge" in demand while warning train passengers of serious disruptions due to excessive temperatures on rail lines. 

On Monday and Tuesday, the Met Office expects "exceptional, perhaps record-breaking, temperatures," the Independent reported. In particular, in metropolitan locations, nights are also expected to be very warm. Widespread effects on both people and infrastructure are probably going to result from this.