Warning as ‘all of Europe’ could be hit by wildfires | World | News
An emergency response co-ordinator has warned that the continent of Europe is in danger as wildfires continue to rage in several nations. Large wildfires have been seen in France, Spain, Portugal and Turkey whilst three firefighters have died while tackling a wildfire on the southern Greek island of Crete.
Wildfires in southern Rethymno, Crete, are currently burning “out of control on all fronts”, with firefighting aircraft unable to be deployed due to strong winds. Maria Zuber, head of the EU’s Emergency Response Co-ordination Centre, said wildfires could engulf “all of Europe” within days. Her warning comes as intense blazes ravage several European nations. “The next risk, it’s already moving to Greece and also Central Europe,” she told reporters yesterday. “Greece for the moment was spared, and now we see that it will go to Greece.”
“Italy will face risk at the beginning of August, and we will need to see what will happen with the Iberian Peninsula, because if (it is) there as well, we will have all Europe on fire.”
Firefighters are battling a wildfire in south-west France which covers an area four times the size of Paris as temperatures were forecast to reach 40C.
More than 2,200 firefighters and more than 20 aircraft remain mobilised, supported by crews from across France and European partners.
The fire forced 220,000 people to flee at its peak. Tens of thousands have since been allowed home, but authorities warned that the danger had not yet passed.
The extreme heat strips moisture from vegetation and drives humidity down, turning grasses, brush and forest litter into faster-burning fuel. Winds can lift embers over firebreaks and ignite new fronts beyond the reach of crews.
Temperatures that peaked around 40C a day earlier were set to drop Thursday, topping out at 27C along the coast. An “orange” heat wave alert – the second-highest level after “red” – was lifted shortly before dawn.
At the peak of the evacuations, a third of a million people were driven from homes and vacation sites in France and Spain.
Spain is braced for its fourth heatwave of the summer, with several blazes still out of control, including the largest in its recorded history.
Even so, Spanish authorities began lifting evacuation and stay-at-home orders for thousands of people after firefighters made progress.
Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, warming at more than twice the global average, according to the European Union’s Copernicus climate service.
Western Europe recorded its hottest June on record, with extreme heat and widespread dryness contributing to the spread and intensification of fires in France and Spain, according to the European Union’s Copernicus climate service.
