Several Western European countries continued to battle devastating bushfires on Sunday, after a heat wave expected to continue beyond the weekend, with several temperature records expected to be broken early next week.
This is the second heat wave in Europe in a month. The multiplication of these phenomena, according to scientists, is a direct consequence of global warming with increasing greenhouse gas emissions, in terms of intensity, duration, and frequency.
In southwest France, firefighters' commitment to fighting the fires has not waned, especially in the Gironde, where smoke has covered about 11,000 hectares of forest since Tuesday in the context of a heat wave reaching levels of 40 degrees. reach.
Celsius on Sunday, according to French Meteorology, which put 15 regions in the west of the country on alert Sunday.
The Meteorological Authority warned that "temperatures are rising with the spread of the heat wave throughout the country."
The French meteorologist expected Monday to be "the warmest in the west of the country," noting that temperatures could reach 40 degrees in many areas; Among them are Brittany, Col de Normandy, Aquitaine, and West Occitanie.
So far, the progress of the fire in the tourist basin of Arcachon, on the Atlantic coast, has slowed, although some fires that were threatening La Don de Bella campsites on Saturday evening "resumed", from which rangers had to evacuate. According to Girondin's tweet on Twitter.
And in the Sites-de-Bosch province, the local authorities announced Sunday noon that conditions are "still not favorable", although the fire is not progressing significantly in this region, where the areas affected by the firing range are between 3200 and 3400 hectares.
Inland at Landeras, the fire advanced less than the previous night and the fire area increased from 7,000 to 7,200 hectares; A spokesman for the fire service said it was thanks to an "effective strategy" that relied on "tactical fires and fire suppression".
In total, more than 14,000 residents and vacationers have urgently had to pack their bags since Tuesday.
In Spain, 20 fires are still raging in different parts of the country, from the south to the extreme northwest of Galicia, where fires destroyed about 4,400 hectares of land this week.
300 out of 3,000 people were allowed to go home on Sunday, after their precautionary evacuation near Malaga in the far south.
Spain's meteorological agency forecast on Sunday "remarkably high" temperatures across much of the country's mainland and the Mediterranean Balearic Islands, with temperatures hitting 42 degrees in the northern city of Logroño and 40 degrees in Madrid and Seville in the south.
Portugal, on the other hand, prevailed on a quiet Sunday morning on the front lines facing the fire. For the first time since July 8, temperatures in Portugal did not rise above 40 degrees Celsius.
One hotspot remained active near the city of Chaves in the far north of the country; According to the Portuguese Civil Protection, more than 90% of the environment is "practically controlled".
However, nearly all of Portugal's territory was deemed prone to fires on Sunday, based on "extreme", "extremely high" or "high" risks, particularly the central and northern interior.
The latest Portuguese Civil Defense report shows two people were killed and 60 injured in fires last week. According to the latest estimates, the fires destroyed between 12,000 and 15,000 hectares of forest.
In Greece, a fire that broke out on Friday morning has been brought under control, leading to the preventive evacuation of seven villages in the rural Rethymnon region of Crete.
Red warning
In Northern Europe, the UK's National Weather Service issued its first "red" warning of extreme heat, warning of a "danger to life".
The Met Office said temperatures in southern England could hit 40 degrees for the first time on Monday or Tuesday.
In the Netherlands, the Netherlands Institute for Public Health and the Environment announced a national heat plan on Sunday and issued a national smog warning from Monday, with temperatures expected to rise to 35C in the coming days. And 38 degrees Celsius on Tuesday in some areas
Extreme temperatures have caused wildfires in other parts of the world, especially in me
Northern Morocco, where one person died and half of the 4,660 hectares affected by the fires were destroyed.
Western Canada
DA has also been hit by devastating fires that have erupted since Thursday in the Lytton area, north of Vancouver, which was devastated last year by a historic heat wave and devastating fires. The fire destroyed 1,500 hectares of forest and trees, destroyed many homes, and led to evacuations.