Firefighters continue to struggle to control huge wildfires in countries like Spain, Portugal and France, where thousands have been evacuated. The authorities point out that many of the deflagrations have been caused. However, they are made worse by the intense heat wave, which in Portugal has claimed the lives of 659 people in the last week, as confirmed by the Ministry of Health. In Spain at least 360 residents have also died for reasons related to high temperatures.
Heat stroke and forest fires. Two situations that have been hitting most of the countries of southern Europe for more than a week. Among them, Spain, Portugal, France, Greece, Croatia and Italy.
Heat-related deaths have skyrocketed. In Portugal, 659 people have died during the last seven days, mainly elderly people, as confirmed by the Ministry of Health on the night of Saturday, July 16.
The portfolio indicated that the weekly peak, with 440 deaths, was reached last Thursday, July 15, when temperatures exceeded 40 °C in various regions and reached up to 47 °C in the district of Viseu, in the center of the country.
However, during this weekend the records began to drop, marking this Sunday, July 17, the 29 °C in Lisbon, the capital, in the west of the country and the 28 °C in Faro, in the south. Meanwhile, in Viseu, she descended at 34 °c.
Although it is summer, temperatures are still higher than usual, a phenomenon that scientists attribute to the climate crisis.
Meanwhile, towns across this country and neighboring nations continue to battle dozens of wildfires. The authorities explain that many of the deflagrations are caused by lightning or by accident and some are even caused intentionally.
However, the dry conditions in the Iberian Peninsula have made it particularly susceptible to fires, in the midst of a mass of hot air that came from Africa last week.
After having at least 28 active fires last Friday, for this Sunday, the Portuguese Government confirmed that there are two ongoing events, both in the north of the country.
For causes directly related to the flames, the Portuguese authorities reported one death. He is a pilot of a firefighting plane, whose aircraft crashed on Friday, July 15.
Spain reports at least 360 deaths from heat wave
The Carlos III Health Institute, dependent on the Spanish Ministry of Health, reported that 360 people have died for reasons related to high temperatures, between Sunday 10 and Friday 15 July. The figures for the weekend have not been officially confirmed, so the number of deaths could be higher.
Since July 10, the trend has been upward, with 15 dead that day and practically twice as many, 28, the next; while on Tuesday the 12th, 41 citizens died, 60 on Wednesday the 13th, and 93 on Thursday the 14th.
The death of a street sweeper after suffering heat stroke while working has led the City Council of the country’s capital to give these employees the option of operating in the late afternoon to avoid hours under the most intense sun.
In the last seven days, this country has been experiencing a heat wave with maximum temperatures of 45 °C in some locations such as Extremadura in the west, Seville in the south, or Ávila to the northwest of Madrid.
Although this Sunday, in those areas, the thermometer dropped between 35 and 38 degrees Celsius.
While the nation has seen a drop in temperature this weekend and the current heat spike is expected to end on Monday, July 18, weather officials warn it won’t be the last.
Forest fires spread in Spain
In the midst of intense temperatures, firefighting teams reinforce their work. Firefighters supported by the emergency brigades of the Armed Forces are trying to quell dozens of explosions that are consuming forests scattered throughout the country.
Spain’s Department of National Defense indicated that most of its firefighting aircraft have been deployed. But many affected areas are in mountainous areas, making access difficult for ground crews.
In the province of Malaga, forest fires spread during the night of Saturday July 16 and affected residents near Mijas, a town popular with tourists from northern Europe.
British pensioners William and Ellen McCurdy had to quickly flee their home and were taken to a local sports center with other evacuees.
“It was very fast (…) I did not take it too seriously. I thought they had it under control and I was quite surprised when it seemed to move in our direction and then they told us to leave. So we had to leave a lot of things behind,” William, 68, explained.
Mari Carmen Molina, a local councilor from Alhaurín de la Torre, one of the evacuated towns in southern Spain, said she is concerned residents’ homes could be destroyed by the flames. “It’s terrible. It’s a very difficult situation,” she stressed.
Some fires have been active for several days, such as the one registered in Las Hurdes, Extremadura, which spread to the province of Salamanca, in the region of Castilla y León, forcing the evacuation of several camps. That autonomous community has registered 165 fires in the last week.
In Catalonia, in the northeast, a similar situation is experienced in towns such as El Pont de Vilomara, where the fire calcined at least 440 hectares of forest, including a natural park, and forced the evacuation of residents of the houses closest to the calls.
So far, the Spanish authorities have not registered any deaths related to the fires.
With Reuters, AP, EFE and local media
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