Nations across southern Europe — experiencing the second heatwave in as many months — have been hit by a series of wildfires over the past few weeks.
Firefighters from Extremadura work to contain a wildfire in the second heatwave of the year in the vicinity of Riomalo de Arriba, Spain, July 14 2022. Picture: REUTERS/SUSANA VERA
“It is absolutely crucial we avoid new events because it leads to the exhaustion of firefighters and all others … who are doing their best to control the situation.” Across the border in western Spain, a fire that started in the Extremadura region on Tuesday swept into Salamanca province in the region of Castile and Leon, forcing the evacuation of 49 children from a summer camp on Thursday.Spain’s meteorological agency, AEMET, expected the heatwave to reach its peak later on Thursday, with temperatures likely to exceed 44ºC in large parts of southern Spain.
In southwestern France, about 1,000 firefighters, supported by six water-bombing planes, were battling two wildfires that started on Tuesday.The biggest of the two Gironde fires was around the town of Landiras, south of Bordeaux, where roads have been closed and 500 residents evacuated. A study in the journal Nature last week found the number of heatwaves in Europe has increased three to four times faster than in the rest of the northern mid-latitudes, such as the US and CanadaThousands of people were also evacuated from homes on Turkey’s southwestern Datca peninsula, as a fire that started on Wednesday was fanned by strong winds overnight and threatened residential areas.
A study in the journal Nature last week found the number of heatwaves in Europe has increased three to four times faster than in the rest of the northern mid-latitudes, such as the US and Canada, due in large part to the jet stream air current splitting into two parts for longer periods.
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