On Sunday, firefighters in France and Spain battled to put out flames that were blazing out of control as Europe wilted under an abnormally intense heatwave that officials have connected to an increase in excess mortality.
Around 14,000 people were evacuated due to two massive fires that have been burning through pine forests for six days just south of Bordeaux in southwest France, many of whom were planning to camp out for the summer.
In Spain, emergency brigades of the military forces are helping firefighters put out more than 30 fires that are raging through the nation’s woodlands.
The majority of Spain’s firefighting aircraft, according to the National Defense Department, have been sent to places with challenging terrain for ground troops to access.
In France or Spain, there haven’t been any fire-related fatalities yet. Friday’s crash in Portugal claimed the life of the firefighting plane’s pilot.
Heat-related fatalities have increased, though, as temperatures continue to be extremely high.
The second heatwave of the summer has kept temperatures in several parts of Spain above 40C (104F).
237 deaths between July 10 and 14 were attributable to high temperatures, up from 25 in the preceding five days, according to Spain’s Carlos III Institute, which keeps track of temperature-related fatalities every day.
10,000 people have had to leave a wildfire in La Teste-de-Buch, France, which is close to the Atlantic coast.
French firefighters are having a difficult time containing a large wildfire in the Bordeaux region due to strong winds and hot, dry conditions.
The Gironde regional government declared on Sunday that “the situation remains unfavorable” as a result of gusty winds that, when combined with hot and dry weather, had stoked more flare-ups throughout the course of the previous night.
Four thousand one hundred people were evacuated by officials this week due to a second fire near the town of Landiras, south of Bordeaux vineyards including about 1,900 on Saturday.
Authorities said that the dumping of white sand along a 1.2-mile (2-kilometer) stretch had brought one flank under control. However, one flank is still unopposed.
The western areas of Castilla y Leon and Extremadura are home to some of Spain’s most concerning fires.
The unified command that will take over coordinating the efforts to fight the fires that are burning in the neighboring regions were declared by Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska.
200 people have been prevented from going home because firefighters have been unable to stop the spread of a fire that started nearby the city of Caceres and is threatening the Monfrague National Park.
In Alhaurin de la Torre, Malaga, Spain, a wildfire is getting closer to a neighborhood.
More than 2,500 people have had to leave their homes due to an additional fire in southern Spain, close to the city of Malaga. More fires have been reported in and around north-western Galicia, including the city of Avila in the center.
Besides California and Morocco, other countries that have battled flames this week include Croatia, Hungary, and the Greek island of Crete.
In the UK, where the Met Office weather service has issued its first-ever “red warning” of extreme heat for Monday and Tuesday, when temperatures in southern England may exceed 40C (104F) for the first time, the sweltering temperatures have spread as far north as Canada.
When compared to the 47C (117F) temperature that was recorded on Wednesday in the northern Portuguese town of Pinhao, it will still be tolerable.
