Scorching heat wave sparks wildfires in Europe

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LEIRIA — Thousands of firefighters battled more than 20 blazes that raged on Wednesday (July 13) across Portugal and western Spain, menacing villages and disrupting tourists' holidays amid a heat wave that pushed temperatures above 45°C in some parts of Europe.

In France, hundreds of firefighters, supported by six water-bomber aircraft, battled two wildfires in the southwest, which prompted the evacuation of thousands of campers, Gironde prefect Fabienne Buccio said.

In Santiago de Guarda in the central Portuguese district of Leiria, Albertina Francisco struggled to hold back tears as a cloud of black smoke billowed over the tiny village.

"It was very hard," said Francisco, 42, who was helping her sick sister evacuate. "Nobody helped — the firefighters and the [water-bomber] aircraft only got here now...The state must do more to help us."

Some villagers rescued pets while others helped firefighters battle the flames.

In Leiria, where over 3,000 hectares have burned so far, authorities blocked major motorways and side streets as strong winds made it harder for firefighters to fight the flames. Portugal's most important highway, connecting its capital Lisbon to Porto, was also blocked due to another fire farther north.

Nearly 900 firefighters were combating three active blazes in Leiria alone, while in the whole of mainland Portugal there were 2,841 firefighters on the ground and 860 vehicles.

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In Portugal's southern Algarve region, popular with tourists, a fire broke out in the city of Faro and spread to the Quinta do Lago luxury resort. Videos shared online showed flames edging close to villas, burning palm trees and parts of golf courses.

About half of drought-hit Portugal will remain on red alert for extreme heat conditions on Thursday, with the highest temperatures expected in the Santarem and Castelo Branco districts, the Instituto Português do Mar e Atmosfera weather institute said.

Wednesday's highest temperature was registered in the central town of Lousa at 46.3°C, one degree below a 2003 record.

Retiree Antonio Ramalheiro blamed inadequate forest management in addition to the heat wave for the wildfires.

"It is scary when the fire comes," the 62-year-old said. "If it reaches the house it is a disgrace...you lose everything."

At least 135 people have suffered mainly minor injuries since wildfires began in Portugal last week, and about 800 people have been evacuated from their homes, according to the Civil Protection Authority.

Campsites evacuated

More than 2,700 hectares have burned so far in France's Gironde region, prefect Buccio told BFM TV. The biggest of the two fires is around the town of Landiras, south of Bordeaux, where roads have been closed and 500 residents evacuated.

The other one is along the Atlantic Coast, close to the iconic "Dune du Pilat" — the tallest sand dune in Europe — located in the Arcachon Bay area, above which heavy clouds of dark smoke were seen rising in the sky.

That fire led to the preventive evacuation of 6,000 people from five surrounding campsites. They were taken to a local exhibition centre for shelter.

"Other campers woke us up at around 4.30 in the morning. We had to leave immediately and quickly choose what to take with us," Christelle, one of the evacuated tourists, told BFM TV.

On the eve of Bastille Day, the Gironde prefecture has forbidden all fireworks until Monday in towns and villages in close proximity to forests.

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The World Meteorological Organisation warned on Tuesday the heat wave was spreading and intensifying in large parts of Europe.

With human-caused climate change triggering droughts, the number of extreme wildfires is expected to increase 30 per cent within the next 28 years, according to a February 2022 UN report.

Searing temperatures also swept across China's vast Yangtze River basin on Wednesday; firefighters tackled a forest fire near the tourist town of Datca in Turkey; and power demand in Texas hit an all-time high as consumers cranked up their air conditioners to escape the heat.

In Spain's western region of Extremadura bordering Portugal, firefighters battled a blaze that swept into Salamanca province in the region of Castile and Leon, burning more than 4,000 hectares.

Parts of the Extremadura, Andalusia and Galicia regions were on red alert for extreme heat, Spain's Agencia Estatal de Meteorología meteorology service said, adding the country's highest temperature on Wednesday stood at 45.6°C in Huelva province.