Thousands have been forced to evacuate and dozens have been injured in wildfires across Europe that have been fanned by extreme heatwaves across the continent.
Spanish authorities ordered more than 18,000 residents in the northeastern Tarragona province to remain indoors on Tuesday, with several dozen evacuated, as a raging wildfire consumed nearly 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) of vegetation.
The blaze broke out early on Monday in a remote area near the village of Pauls, and firefighting efforts have been severely hampered by strong winds and rugged terrain.
Two people died in a separate wildfire on 1 July in the Catalonia region, where Tarragona is located.
In the south of France, a wildfire that reached the outskirts of Marseille injured 110 people, and locals have been warned that while the fire has been contained for now, it remains a concern.
“It is not finished. Weather conditions are worrying for us,” head of the area council Martine Vassal told broadcaster BFM.
The fire had burned through 700 hectares by late Tuesday and had destroyed at least 10 homes. Firefighters worked through the night to contain the blaze, which authorities believe was caused by a car that caught fire on the side of a highway.
A separate blaze broke out near the city of Narbonne, marking France’s first major fire of the summer, according to government spokesperson Sophie Primas.
Ms Primas added in an interview with RTL that the wildfire season had started earlier this year.
In Greece, at least 5,000 tourists were forced to evacuate parts of Crete last week as a massive wildfire scorched forests and olive groves on the Greek island.
Around 230 firefighters, along with 46 engines and helicopters, rushed to tackle the blaze on Thursday, which broke out the day before in the forested hills near Lerapetra on the island’s southern coast.
Winds of up to 50mph spread the blaze south, as reinforcements flew in from Athens to help put out the fire.
The inferno destroyed homes in places including Agia Fotia, while at least four people were rushed to hospital after inhaling smoke, according to the BBC.
The previous week, a large fire south of Athens prompted authorities to evacuate five communities as temperatures neared 40C and the blaze, fanned by strong winds, threatened homes.
The ongoing heatwave forced Greek officials to partially close the Acropolis in Athens to protect visitors and workers.
With additional reporting from wires
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