Strong winds and hot, dry weather are frustrating French firefighters ’efforts to contain a huge forest fire that has spread for the fifth day in a row through pine forests in the Bordeaux region, one of Europe’s several scorching days.
Key points:
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The pilot of a firefighting plane dies after his plane crashes during an operation in northeastern Portugal
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More than 11,000 people are evacuated from villages and camps in the south of France
- Thousands of firefighters from Portugal and France are called to action with Europe surrounded by a strong heat wave
Among the worst fires have been in Portugal, where the pilot of a firefighting plane died Friday when his plane crashed during an operation in the northeast.
It was the first fatality in fires in Portugal so far this year, injuring more than 160 people and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of villages this week.
The fire season has affected parts of Europe earlier than usual this year after hot and unusually dry water that authorities attribute to climate change.
Some 3,000 firefighters backed by jet planes are fighting fires in southern France, President Emmanuel Macron said, with Greece sending firefighting equipment to help.
More than 11,000 people have been evacuated from villages and camps.
Firefighters managed to contain one of the worst fires during the night, near the tourist resort on the Atlantic coast of Arcachon, popular with tourists from all over Europe, the regional emergency service said.
The largest fire in the region started in the town of Landiras, south of a valley of Bordeaux vineyards. (AP: SDIS 33)
Fire trucks surround the villages to try to save the houses
But he said “harsh weather conditions” thwarted efforts to contain the region’s largest fire, which started in the town of Landiras, south of a valley of Bordeaux vineyards.
They are focusing efforts on using fire trucks to surround at-risk villages and save as many homes as possible, said Charles Lafourcade, overseeing the firefighting operation.
The two fires have burned at least 9,650 acres of land in recent days.
A similar scene is unfolding in Portugal, where more than 3,000 firefighters fought alongside desperate ordinary Portuguese citizens to save their homes from several wildfires that ravaged the country, fueled by extreme temperatures and drought conditions.
The country’s Civil Protection Agency said 10 fires were still occurring over the weekend.
Portuguese firefighters have been battling forest fires for days, as the country recorded a national high of 47ºC in July. (Reuters: Rodrigo Antunes)
Portuguese state television, RTP, reported that the area burned this year had already exceeded the total of 2021. More than 30,000 hectares of land have been burned, he said, mostly over the past week.
On the other side of the border, Spain was fighting to contain several fires, including two that have burned about 7,400 hectares of land.
In southern Andalusia, some 3,000 people were evacuated from villages in danger by a fire that started near the town of Mijas, in the province of Malaga.
About 200 firefighters backed by 18 planes tried to contain the fire. Authorities were investigating his cause.
For the sixth day, firefighters were also trying to control a lightning-induced fire in the midwestern area of Las Hurdes.
Some 400 people from eight villages were evacuated on Friday as flames approached their homes and threatened to spread to nearby Monfrague National Park.
Croatia and Hungary have also fought wildfires this week, as have California and Morocco. Many European countries are facing exceptional heat this month also attributed to climate change.
Portuguese authorities said on Wednesday that a national high of 47 degrees Celsius was recorded in July in the northern city of Pinhao.
The British weather agency Met Office issued its first “red warning” of extreme heat on Monday and Tuesday, when temperatures in England are expected to reach 40ºC.
AP