New heat wave hits Europe with fires in Spain, Portugal and France

Western Europe is hit by a mass of hot air, at a time when thermometers show temperatures even above the usual summer levels; This is why the alarms go off in the face of forest fires and public health.

In Spainsome 300 firefighters backed by 17 planes and helicopters fight a blaze in the eastern region of Extremadura that has already devastated 2,500 hectaresaccording to data from local authorities.

The forest deflagration, which began on July 11, “will probably last several days,” assured the president of the Junta de Extremadura, Guillermo Fernández Vara.

The fire has spread to the nearby community of Castilla y León, specifically to the area of ​​Las Batuecas, in Salamanca, where the flames have destroyed 100 hectares so far.

The Board decreed level 2 of danger due to forest fires and requested help from the Military Emergency Unit, after issuing the evacuation order for several municipalities.

The firefighters worked non-stop during the early hours of this July 13, while fighting to keep the urban area safe. The flames continue without control due to the strong winds added to the complex orography where the fire spreads.

Although it is summer, heat levels are still higher even in areas where the population is not used to suffocating weather. Galicia, in the northwest of Spain, where temperatures are usually lower compared to the rest of the country, this week the thermometers have exceeded 30 degrees Celsius with wind chill around 36 degrees.

In usually warmer areas, such as the region of Andalusia, in the south of the nation, the situation is even worse: there the temperatures mark up to 44 degrees Celsius; reason why the State Meteorological Agency activated the red warning for this Wednesday, July 13.

The Spanish Ministry of Health warned that the situation could affect the “vital functions” of people due to possible consequences of heat stroke and advised citizens to be attentive to warning signs such as a rapid heart rate, intense headaches or confusion.

The ministry advised “staying as long as possible” in the shade or in places with air conditioning, but the situation is different for those who work outdoors.

“It’s difficult because the temperature is a bit overwhelming,” Miguel Ángel Núñez, a 54-year-old bricklayer who works on a construction site in the center of Madrid, said of his work.

Thursday, July 14, is expected to be “the peak day of this heat wave episode,” said the State Meteorological Agency.

Forest fires hit central and northern Portugal

Around 1,500 firefighters were mobilized to put out three forest fires that raged for more than 48 hours in the center and north of Portugal over the weekend when the country was hit by a heat wave that led the government to declare a “state of contingency.”

In the central municipality of Ourem, a forest deflagration has occurred since last Thursday, July 7, and although it was controlled on Monday, July 11, a day later it exploded again. 2,000 hectares of land have been devastated.

With temperatures close to 40 ° C this Wednesday in much of the country, Prime Minister António Costa urged residents and tourists to “a maximum of caution”.

“We have experienced situations like this in the past and we will surely experience them in the future,” he said, however, in a show of optimism.

The meteorological authorities do not estimate a relief of the mass of warm air, coming from Africa for this week.

Scientists explain that heat waves have become more frequent due to climate change. And as global temperatures rise over time, the climate picture is expected to become even more intense.

The Government issued an “alert situation” for forest fires for the entire country until at least Friday, July 15, raising the levels of preparation of firefighters, the Police and emergency medical services.

More than 1,700 hectares devastated in southwestern France

Around 600 firefighters, supported by six bomber planes, continue this July 13 the intense work to try to control two fires in the southwest of France. Over there the fire has destroyed more than 1,700 hectares and forced the evacuation of thousands of tourists.

“Significant human and material resources are being deployed to control the fires (…) local and national reinforcements are expected,” said the local authority of the Gironde department, where the flames are burning.

The larger of the two Gironde fires is around the town of Landiras, south of Bordeaux, where roads have been closed and 500 residents have been evacuated. It is estimated that the fire has already burned more than 1,000 hectares.

The other focus is along the Atlantic coast, near the iconic “Dune du Pilat”, the highest sand dune in Europe, located in the Arcachon Bay area, over which clouds of dark smoke were seen. rising up.

That fire has already burned 700 hectares and has caused the preventive evacuation of 6,000 people who remained in several campsites, who were transferred to an exhibition center to take refuge.

“Other campers woke us up around 4:30 in the morning. We had to go out immediately and quickly choose what to take with us. She had forgotten my ID, luckily someone took it to me. But I don’t have my phone (…) we don’t know what’s going to happen,” described Christelle, one of the evacuated tourists.

On the eve of Bastille Day, a national holiday in France, the Gironde prefecture has banned all fireworks until Monday, July 18, in cities and towns near forests.

UK and Germany in unusual heat

The climatic conditions hit in such a way that the nations that for decades experienced lower temperatures, compared to neighboring countries, are also experiencing suffocating changes.

United Kingdom you can see record temperatures. Authorities issued the “amber” alert, their second-highest level of warning, to indicate that the extreme heat will have a “high impact” on daily life. Temperatures are forecast to reach 35°C, in the southeast of the countryin the coming days.

In 2019, Cambridge recorded Britain’s highest ever temperature of 38.7 C. The UK’s meteorological authority, the Met Office, is not ruling out temperatures exceeding that record.

“Weather forecast models are run hundreds of times to determine the most likely weather outcome (…) Some models have been producing maximum temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius in parts of the UK over the coming weekend and beyond” Rebekah Sherwin of the Met Office said.

Germany also prepares. The southwest of the nation is experiencing temperatures of up to 34 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.

But Germany’s National Weather Service, the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), is forecasting even higher heat levels for next week, when temperatures in parts of the country are expected to reach 40 degrees.

The current climatic conditions have already brought fateful consequences. Last week, an avalanche triggered by the collapse of the largest glacier in the Italian Alps, amid unusually warm temperatures, killed 11 people.

The second heat wave in western Europe threatens the glaciers of the Alps and worsens dry conditions, after the area was hit by a first heat wave in mid-June.

A relief in temperature would be seen until Monday, July 18, experts estimate.

With Reuters, EFE and local media