From the Iberian Peninsula to the Balkans, wildfires have spread across several Southern European countries unusually early in the summer. And the latest heat wave has just begun.
Image: Abdul Saboor/REUTERS
Working nonstop: Forest fires are keeping fire crews busy across large parts of France. The situation is particularly critical in the south of the country, where a fire in the Pyrenees has already injured five people. Seven hundred firefighters are battling a “gigantic” blaze raging in a hard-to-reach area on the Spanish border; more than 10,000 residents have been evacuated.
Image: Alexandre Dimou/REUTERS
Given the “very difficult situation,” the authorities ordered on Sunday evening that the third stage of the prestigious cycling race the Tour de France take place on Monday without spectators on the French side of the border. The route leads from Granollers in Spain to the French destination Les Angles.
Image: Jc Milhet/AFP
The flames are also raging in neighboring Spain: In the northeastern La Bisbal d’Empordà, the authorities called on around 45,000 residents of several towns not to leave their houses over the weekend. The flames destroyed several thousand hectares of vegetation in the holiday region on the Costa Brava. The fire is now under control and the exit restrictions have been lifted.
Image: AFP
In Greece, firefighters near Thessaloniki continued to battle blazes at a recycling plant and an oil-processing facility over the weekend. Thick black smoke drifted as far as the center of the country’s second-largest city. Authorities urged residents to keep their windows closed because of potentially toxic fumes.
Image: Alexandros Avramidis/REUTERS
In northern Portugal, a forest fire near Vouzela has raged for days. It was approximately 80% contained by Sunday. Civil protection officials said more than 1,200 emergency personnel were deployed, utilizing nearly 400 vehicles and 15 aircraft. Portugal activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in response to the summer’s first major wildfires.
Image: Pedro Rocha/REUTERS
Fires have burned over 19,000 hectares (47,000 acres) in Portugal, Spain, France and Greece. Major blazes also destroyed hundreds of hectares of forest, vineyards and scrubland on the Croatian island of Hvar, near Tale in Albania and elsewhere in Southern Europe.
Image: Bruna Casas/REUTERS
Experts are warning of an early and long forest fire season. “Climate change is here, we are experiencing the consequences, and it is only the beginning of July,” Eric Belgioino, a colonel with the French fire service, told news agencies.
Image: Alexandros Avramidis/REUTERS
The fires follow a heat wave in June that saw temperature records broken across Europe. Although most wildfires are caused by human activity, heat waves and the associated dry conditions fuel their spread. Temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 F) are once again expected in several Southern European countries over the coming days.
Image: Bruna Casas/REUTERS8 images1 | 88 imageshttps://p.dw.com/p/5Gf4C
About The Author
