The Rhône Glacier in Switzerland is just one of the victims of the extreme temperatures the continent has experienced in recent days. A series of blazes has seen firefighters battling blazes in Portugal, Spain and southern France – as well as Turkey across the Mediterranean. Water-dropping planes have been scrambled to help fight the worst of some of the fires. Tourists were evacuated from campsites in France’s Gironde, where more than 2,700 hectares have so far burned, while temperatures are expected to break records in Portugal and Spain. Image: Bing Xing is happy with his summer treat. Photo: Associated Press Madrid Zoo’s giant panda Bing Xing enjoyed a watermelon ice lollipop provided by keepers to keep him and the other animals cool. In addition to his daily ration of 50kg of fresh bamboo, Bing Xing, whose name means ‘ice star’, eagerly chewed frozen fruit on a stick. Image: A gray seal takes a treat of frozen fish Predatory animals, such as lions or seals, were offered “lollipops” of beef or fish, depending on their diet. Zookeepers also sprayed the animals with water. Birds ‘may start falling from the sky’ – all UK weather updates live Image: People grab their pets as they evacuate after a fire in Leiria, Portugal Image: A man takes a cold shower on the roof of an apartment building in Madrid In Portugal’s southern Algarve region, popular with tourists, authorities blocked access to the luxury Quinta do Lago resort and golf course as thick smoke billowed from an area next door that had caught fire due to high temperatures. Read more: Fearsome fires break out as temperatures in Portugal soar to 46C And in the central district of Leiria, north of Lisbon, where temperatures soared to 45C, police were forced to block a major highway due to a similar fire. Image: A pharmacy thermometer shows high temperatures in Nantes, France The residents of the village who had not been evacuated, poured water on the roofs of their houses to try to cool them and prevent them from catching fire. Image: People cool off on an urban beach in Madrid Almost all of mainland Portugal is on red alert for extreme heat conditions. Image: Helicopters drop water on fires on the outskirts of Madrid. Photo: Associated Press The World Meteorological Organization has warned that “human-induced climate change” is causing droughts, and a UN report says the number of extreme forest fires is expected to increase by 30% over the next 28 years.
