France, Portugal and Spain are among the worst-hit European countries, with temperatures of more than 45C (113F) being recorded during a heat wave that is also sweeping the UK. President Macron confirmed that 3,000 firefighters, aided by rescue forces from Greece, were battling the flames in southern France. The regional emergency service confirmed that firefighters managed to contain one of the worst fires overnight, which had started near the Dune du Pilat in the Arcachon Bay area. However, efforts to put out the Lantira fire – the largest fire in the region, which district prosecutors suspect was arson – have so far been hampered by “severe weather conditions”. Firefighters managed to contain one of France’s worst fires near the Dune du Pilat in the Arcachon Bay area. Photo: Thibaud Moritz/AFP/Getty Images The two fires have burned at least 9,650 hectares (23,800 acres) of land in recent days, while more than 12,200 people had been evacuated from France’s Gironde region by this morning. Portugal recorded its first fire death this year after the pilot of a firefighting plane died on Friday when it crashed while on an operation in the northeast. A “state of emergency” has been in effect since Sunday, with Portuguese state broadcaster RTP reporting on Friday that the area burned this year has already exceeded 2021’s total. More than 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) of land have burned, he said, mostly in the past week. Five regions in the center and north – where temperatures reached 47C on Thursday before falling slightly – were again on red alert on Friday as more than 2,000 firefighters brought four major fires under control. More than 160 people have been injured as a result of the fires, while Portugal’s health authority DGS confirmed it had recorded 238 excess deaths due to the heat between July 7 and 13. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST. Spain is also struggling to contain several fires, including two that have burned about 7,400 hectares (18,200 acres) of land. In southern Andalusia, 3,000 people were evacuated after a fire broke out near the village of Mijas in the province of Malaga. Firefighters are also working to contain a fire started by lightning in Extremadura’s Las Hurdes region, which has forced the evacuation of 400 people from eight villages. Croatia, Hungary and Morocco have also battled fires this week.
