The second heatwave of the summer – with temperatures of 47C (116F) in Portugal and 45C in Spain – has fueled wildfires that have forced the evacuation of thousands of people. In Portugal, the meteorological institute is predicting temperatures of up to 42 degrees Celsius without a break before next week. Civil defense authorities, however, took advantage of a slight drop in temperatures after July’s record high of 47 degrees Celsius on Thursday to try to extinguish one remaining large fire in the north of the country. “The risk of fires remains very high,” civil defense chief Andre Fernandez said, although media reported the number of active fires on the mainland had dropped to 11 from 20 earlier. “This is a weekend of extreme vigilance,” he added after a week in which two people were killed and more than 60 injured and up to 15,000 hectares of forest and scrub burned. In Portugal, a total of 39,550 hectares (98,000 acres) were destroyed by fires from the beginning of the year to mid-June, more than three times the area in the same period last year, according to data from the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests. shown. The Lisbon government was due to decide on Sunday whether to extend a week-long state of emergency. Portugal’s health ministry said 238 people died as a result of the heatwave from July 7 to 13, most of them elderly people with underlying illnesses. In Spain, the state meteorological service maintained various alert levels across the country, warning of temperatures of up to 44 degrees Celsius in some areas. Dozens of forest fires were raging on Saturday in various parts of the country, from the stormy south to Galicia in the northwest, where flames destroyed 3,500 hectares, Galicia’s regional government said. A wildfire in the south caused authorities to block a section of a key highway linking Madrid with the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, for more than 12 hours before the road was reopened. Fires have burned thousands of hectares in the southwestern Spanish region of Extremadura, while a blaze near the southern city of Malaga forced the precautionary evacuation of more than 3,000 people, rescue services said. A 60-year-old street sweeper died after suffering heatstroke while working in Madrid on Friday afternoon, prompting the city council to announce flexible working hours for city workers to avoid the hottest parts of the day. Figures from Spain’s Carlos III public health institute show there were 360 heat-related deaths between last Sunday and Friday. 123 people lost their lives on Friday alone. A black cloud of smoke rises near the Pyla Dune in the Arcachon Basin in southwestern France. Photo: Thibaud Moritz/AFP/Getty Images Firefighters in the coastal town of Arcachon in France’s southwestern Gironde region are battling to control two forest fires that have destroyed more than 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) this week. “It’s a herculean job,” said Colonel Olivier Chavatte, of the fire and rescue service, which has 1,200 firefighters and five planes in action. As of Tuesday, more than 14,000 people in France – residents and tourists – have been forced to leave, and seven emergency shelters have been set up to accommodate those displaced. Météo-France is forecasting temperatures of up to 41C in parts of southern France on Sunday, as well as up to 35C in the northwest, with new heat records expected on Monday. On Saturday, France put another 22 departments, mostly on the Atlantic coast, on high orange alert, bringing the total to 38. Authorities in the French Alps have urged climbers bound for Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest mountain, to postpone their trip due to repeated rockfalls caused by “exceptional climatic conditions” and drought. The call came after a section of the largest glacier in Italy’s Alps retreated earlier this month, killing 11 people, in a disaster officials blamed on global warming. A forest fire burns near Carballeda de Valdeorras, in Galicia, Spain, on Saturday. Photo: Brais Lorenzo/EPA In Greece, civil defense rushed to put out flames raging on the Mediterranean island of Crete, while Morocco battled a forest fire in its northern mountains that killed at least one person and forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 families. The battle against the flames claimed the lives of several employees, from a pilot who was killed when his plane crashed in northern Portugal to two who died in Greece when their helicopter crashed into the sea. The fires have been fueled by extreme temperatures that experts attribute to the climate crisis. Croatia and Hungary also had wildfires this week, as did the US state of California. UK government ministers held an emergency Cobra meeting on Saturday after the Met Office issued a first ‘red’ warning for extreme heat, warning there was a ‘danger to life’. The Met Office said temperatures in southern England could top 40C on Monday or Tuesday for the first time, prompting some schools to say they will remain closed next week. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, advised Londoners to only use public transport if “absolutely necessary”. National train operators also warned passengers to avoid travel. Four people helping firefighters battle a wildfire in the US state of New Mexico died late Saturday when the sheriff’s department helicopter they were traveling in crashed. Agence France-Presse and Reuters contributed to this report
title: “Forest Fires Rage Across Europe As Heatwave Sends Temperatures Soaring Fires " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-06” author: “Robert Skillern”
The second heatwave of the summer – with temperatures reaching 47C in Portugal and 45C in Spain – has sparked wildfires that have forced the evacuation of thousands of people. In Portugal, the meteorological institute has predicted temperatures of up to 42 degrees Celsius, with no respite before next week. Civil defense authorities, however, took advantage of a slight drop in temperatures after July’s record high of 47 degrees Celsius on Thursday to try to extinguish one remaining large fire in the north of the country. “The risk of fires remains very high,” civil defense chief Andre Fernandez said, although media reported the number of active fires on the mainland had dropped to 11 from 20 earlier. “This is a weekend of extreme vigilance,” he added after a week in which two people were killed and more than 60 injured and up to 15,000 hectares of forest and scrub burned. A total of 39,550 hectares (98,000 acres) were destroyed by fires from the start of the year to mid-June, more than triple the area during the same period last year, according to data from the Institute for Nature and Forest Conservation. The Lisbon government was due to decide on Sunday whether to extend a week-long state of emergency. Portugal’s health ministry said 238 people died as a result of the heatwave from July 7 to 13, most of them elderly people with underlying illnesses. In Spain, the state meteorological service maintained various alert levels across the country, warning of temperatures of up to 44 degrees Celsius in some areas. More than 600 members of Spain’s military emergency unit are helping firefighters and rangers tackle dozens of forest fires across the country, where flames have so far engulfed at least 14,000 hectares. A wildfire in the south led authorities to block a section of a key highway linking Madrid with the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, for more than 12 hours. Another fire near the southern city of Malaga forced the precautionary evacuation of more than 3,000 people, rescue services said. The fires have burned thousands of hectares in the southwestern Spanish region of Extremadura, where a fire was started deliberately, according to Pedro Muñoz, head of the regional government’s forestry policy. He said the fire that broke out in Valle del Jerte on Saturday night was “obviously started deliberately” as it had started at 11pm and started from two different places. Another fire destroyed 200 hectares of Extremadura’s Monfragüe National Park, known for its biodiversity and rich bird life. Fires in Europe A 60-year-old street sweeper died after suffering heatstroke while working in Madrid on Friday afternoon, prompting the city council to announce flexible working hours for city workers to avoid the hottest parts of the day. Figures from Spain’s Carlos III public health institute show there were 360 deaths attributed to the heat between last Sunday and Friday, 123 of whom died on Friday alone. A black cloud of smoke rises near the Pyla Dune in the Arcachon Basin in southwestern France. Photo: Thibaud Moritz/AFP/Getty Firefighters in the coastal town of Arcachon in France’s southwestern Gironde region are battling to control two forest fires that have destroyed more than 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) this week. “It’s a Herculean job,” said Lt. Col. Olivier Chavatte of the fire and rescue service, which has 1,200 firefighters and five planes in action. As of Tuesday, more than 14,000 people in France – residents and tourists – have been forced to leave, and seven emergency shelters have been set up to accommodate those displaced. The French government has stepped up efforts to protect people in nursing homes, the homeless and other vulnerable populations after a vicious heat wave and poor planning led to nearly 15,000 deaths in 2003, especially among the elderly. On Sunday afternoon, the Gironde regional government said the situation remained “very unfavorable” due to gale-force winds that helped fuel more outbreaks overnight. Emergency officials also warned that high temperatures and winds on Sunday and Monday would complicate efforts to stop the fires from spreading. “We have to remain very prudent and very humble, because the day will be very hot,” regional fire official Eric Florence told France-Bleu radio on Sunday. “We don’t have a favorable weather window.” Authorities in the French Alps have urged climbers bound for Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest mountain, to postpone their trip due to repeated rockfalls caused by “exceptional climatic conditions” and drought. The call came after a section of the largest glacier in Italy’s Alps retreated earlier this month, killing 11 people, a disaster officials blamed on global warming. A forest fire burns near Carballeda de Valdeorras in Galicia, Spain on Saturday. Photo: Brais Lorenzo/EPA In Greece, civil defense rushed to put out flames raging on the Mediterranean island of Crete, while Morocco battled a forest fire in its northern mountains that killed at least one person and forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 families. The battle against the flames claimed the lives of several employees, from a pilot who was killed when his plane crashed in northern Portugal to two who died in Greece when their helicopter crashed into the sea. The fires have been fueled by extreme temperatures that experts attribute to the climate crisis. Croatia and Hungary also had wildfires this week, as did the US state of California. UK government ministers held an emergency Cobra meeting on Saturday after the Met Office issued a first red warning for extreme heat, warning there was a “danger to life”. The Met Office said temperatures in southern England could top 40C on Monday or Tuesday for the first time, prompting some schools to say they will remain closed next week. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, advised Londoners to use public transport only if absolutely necessary. National rail operators also warned passengers to avoid traveling by train. Four people helping firefighters battle a wildfire in the US state of New Mexico died late Saturday when the sheriff’s department helicopter they were traveling in crashed. Agence France-Presse, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report
