Strong winds and hot, dry weather hampered efforts by French firefighters on Saturday to contain a massive fire that tore through pine forests in the Bordeaux region for a fifth straight day, one of several blazes burning across Europe this week. Among the worst fires were in Portugal, where the pilot of a firefighting plane died on Friday when his plane crashed while on an operation in the northeast. It was the first fire death in Portugal this year, but the flames have injured more than 160 people this week and forced hundreds to evacuate. The fire season hit parts of Europe earlier than usual this year after an unusually dry, hot spring left the ground parched, which authorities attributed to climate change. As the worst of France’s wildfires edged closer to populated towns, some of the 11,000 people evacuated from the area described fear and uncertainty about what they would find when they returned home. Images released by firefighters show flames shooting through a mass of pine trees and black smoke billowing into the horizon. Firefighters focused efforts Saturday on using fire trucks to surround villages at risk and save as many homes as possible, Charles Lafourcade, who oversees the French firefighting operation, told reporters. About 3,000 firefighters supported by water-dropping planes are battling the flames in southern France, the president said, and Greece has sent firefighting equipment to help. French firefighters managed to contain one of the worst fires overnight near the Atlantic seaside resort of Arcachon, which is popular with tourists, the regional emergency service said on Saturday. But it said “difficult weather conditions” had hampered efforts to contain the largest fire in the region, which started in the town of Landiras, south of a valley of Bordeaux vineyards. District attorneys suspect arson. The two fires have burned at least 9,650 acres (23,800 hectares) in recent days. In Portugal, more than 1,000 firefighters worked on Saturday alongside ordinary citizens desperate to save their homes after a grueling week of battling multiple blazes across the country. Wildfires have been fueled by extreme temperatures and drier conditions earlier than usual. Portugal’s state broadcaster RTP reported on Friday that the area burned this year – more than 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) – has already exceeded the total for 2021. Most of it burned last week. Across the border, Spain was struggling to contain several fires, including two that burned about 7,400 hectares (18,200 acres). In southern Andalusia, 3,000 people were evacuated from villages at risk from the fire that started near the village of Michas in the province of Malaga. About 200 firefighters supported by 18 aircraft tried to contain the fire. Authorities were investigating the cause. For a sixth day, firefighters were also trying to bring under control a fire started by lightning in the west central district of Las Hurdes. About 400 people from eight villages were evacuated on Friday as flames approached their homes and threatened to spread into the nearby Monfrague National Park. Croatia and Hungary have also battled wildfires this week, as have California and Morocco. Many European countries are experiencing extreme heat this month which is also attributed to climate change. Temperature-related deaths rose in Spain this week amid a heat wave that has kept highs above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in many areas. According to Spain’s Carlos III Institute, which records daily heat-related deaths, 237 deaths were attributed to high temperatures from July 10 to 14. That compared with 25 temperature-related deaths the previous week. Portuguese authorities said a national July record of 47 C (117 F) hit the northern town of Pinhao on Wednesday. Britain’s Met Office has issued its first “red warning” for extreme heat for Monday and Tuesday, when temperatures in southern England may reach 40C (104F) for the first time. The British government held an emergency meeting on Saturday to plan for the high temperatures. People in the UK have already been warned not to travel unless absolutely necessary and schools and nursing homes have been told to take extra precautions. “All the heat waves studied so far in Europe are getting warmer,” said Robert Vautard of the Pierre-Simon Laplace Institute at the Sorbonne University. frequent and last longer”. In Turkey — the scene of devastating forest fires last summer — local media reported fires in the western province of Izmir and Hatay between the Mediterranean Sea and the Syrian border. Helicopters, planes and hundreds of firefighters extinguished the flames. Wildfires fueled by strong winds and scorching temperatures last year tore through Turkey’s Mediterranean and Aegean regions, killing at least eight people and prompting fierce criticism of the government for its inadequate preparation and response.
Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain. Danica Kirka in London and Andrew Wilks in Istanbul contributed.
