Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes as wildfires continue to burn in Spain and France caused by an ongoing heat wave.
Two people died in the flames in Spain and the country’s prime minister linked the deaths to global warming, saying: “Climate change kills.”
This figure adds to the hundreds of heat-related deaths reported in the Iberian Peninsula, as high temperatures have taken over the continent and caused forest fires from Portugal to the Balkan region.
Some areas, including northern Italy, are also suffering from prolonged droughts.
UK weather: last: the UK could reach 41C as the RAF stops flights from the largest base after the runway “melts”
In France, heat records were broken and hot swirling winds complicated firefighting efforts in the southwest of the country.
“The fire is literally exploding,” said Marc Vermeulen, the regional fire chief who described the tree trunks breaking as the flames consumed them, sending burning embers into the air and spreading the flames even further.
“We are faced with extreme and exceptional circumstances,” he said.
Authorities evacuated more people and relocated 14,900 more people from areas at risk of being on fire.
In all, more than 31,000 people have been forced to flee their homes and summer vacation spots in the Gironde region since the wildfires began on 12 July.
Image: Firefighters work to contain a tactical fire in Louchats, while forest fires continue to spread in the Gironde region in southwestern France
Three additional planes were sent to join six others already fighting the fires, collecting seawater in their tanks and making repeated turns through the dense clouds of smoke.
More than 200 reinforcements were directed to join the force of 1,500 firefighters fighting night and day to contain the flames in the Gironde.
Meanwhile, Spain recorded a second death in two days while fighting its own flames.
The body of a 69-year-old sheep farmer was found Monday in the same mountainous area where a 62-year-old firefighter died a day earlier after being caught in flames in the northwestern province of Zamora.
More than 30 forest fires across Spain have forced the evacuation of thousands of people and blackened 85 square miles (220 square km) of forest and scrub.
Passengers on a train through Zamora saw a fire up close when their train stopped at the camp.
The video showed about a dozen passengers alarmed as they looked out the windows at the flames invading both sides of the track.
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0:32 Train surrounded by forest fires in Spain
Nearly 600 heat-related deaths have been reported in Spain and neighboring Portugal, where temperatures reached 47ºC (117F) earlier this month.
On Tuesday, the heat wave in Spain was expected to subside, but the respite will be brief, as temperatures rise again on Wednesday, especially in the dry region of western Extremadura.
Read more: Roads are closed, “terrifying” fires break out and drought sets in as temperatures rise in Portugal. Heat wave in images: forest fires in Europe, droughts and ice eruptions
The Balkan region is expected to experience the worst of the heat by the end of this week, but sporadic forest fires have already been seen.
Early Monday morning, Slovenian authorities said firefighters managed to control a fire.
How to stay safe in the heat – official advice
Keep out of the sun between 11 and 15 hours and avoid physical exertion
Drink plenty of fluids and avoid excess alcohol
Close the curtains in the rooms facing the sun
Never leave anyone in a parked car, and check on large and vulnerable neighbors
Walk in the shade, apply sunscreen and wear a wide-brimmed hat
Check that the medicines can be stored according to the instructions and check that your refrigerators, freezers and fans are working properly.
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