Firefighters are fighting wildfires across southern France and other parts of Europe, and authorities are warning that this year’s fire season has started a month earlier than usual after early heatwaves in May and June left vegetation particularly dry and vulnerable.
Hundreds of firefighters are battling blazes that have devastated more than 19,000 hectares of land France, Portugal, Spain, and Greece.
A major fire in southwestern France, near the Spanish border, has caused more than 10,000 people to be evacuated.
Over 700 hundred firefighters backed by water-bombing aircraft are fighting to control the fast-moving fire that has burned around 4,600 hecatres since Saturday night. A firefighter and a local resident were injured.
Officials warned that strong winds expected Monday could further fan the flames. Local authorities have modified stage three of the Tour de France cycling race, which goes through the area, closing it to spectators, in order to clear access to emergency services.
Fires in southern France
Elsewhere, some 300 firefighters battled a wildfire in the mountains of the southeastern Drome department, while another fire near Nimes, in the Gard, burned more than 540 hectares before being brought under control, although it remains active.
Around 70 people were evacuated, and some homes and vehicles were damaged. Authorities have urged caution as the region remains under an orange heatwave alert with temperatures reaching 40°C.
Large parts of France and other parts of Europe are on alert after an unusually early and intense heatwave at the end of June, with forecasters warning that hot, dry conditions continue to increase the risk of new fires.
'Long' fire season
"Climate change is here, we are living the consequences and it is only the start of July," said French fire service Colonel Eric Belgioino as he appealed to people near the Pyrenees fire to take precautions to avoid starting other fires.
"The season is going to be long for the soldiers fighting fires. You have to help us," he pleaded.
Regions across France as well as Spain and Portugal have stepped up heat alerts for the coming days.
Fires in Europe
A fire in Spain, near the northeastern Costa Brava coast, has burned more than 2,200 hectares in a protected natural area over the last two days. Catalan authorities said late Saturday that it was stable and would be completely extinguished during the week, though firefighters said their efforts would be "complicated" by rising temperatures.
In Portugal, emergency services said they have contained about 80 percent of a fire that has destroyed around 13,000 hectares of forest and scrub land in the north of the country.
In Greece, flames set off by a forest fire tore through two factories in Thessaloniki in the north of the country over the weekend, forcing authorities to evacuate the surrounding area and to warn households to keep their windows closed.
Major fires also destroyed hundreds of hectares of forest, vineyards and scrubland on the Croatian island of Hvar and at Tale in Albania.
(with AFP)
