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Temperatures in Italy, Spain and France are climbing to record levels in the wake of the current heatwave. The drought in southern Europe is doing the rest: forest fires are raging in many places, fire brigades are in constant use.
More and more fires are breaking out in the dried-up forests in the southern European holiday countries. The problem is getting worse, while temperatures of up to 40 degrees are expected in Italy and France in the coming days.
On the holiday island of Sicily, there is still an increased forest fire warning level in large parts on Thursday, as is Sardinia. Most recently, firefighters have repeatedly responded to forest and bush fires, for example in South Tyrol, Tuscany and in and around Rome.
Legend:
Forest fires continue on the French Atlantic coast near Bordeaux. More than 3700 hectares of land fell victim to the flames, as the Gironde prefecture announced on Thursday morning. (Image dated July 12, 2022)
Reuters
In France, the fire brigade on the Atlantic coast continued to fight a large-scale forest fire in the pine forests south of Bordeaux.
There has been an extreme drought in Italy for weeks. The government has already declared a state of emergency in five northern regions along the Po River due to the drought. Other regions could follow, as Minister of Agriculture Stefano Patuanelli said in Parliament on Wednesday evening.
Legend:
Italy’s Po River is a trickle in some places due to the worst drought in 70 years.
Reuters
In France, meteorologists expect a drought record by the end of July. Although there were storms with lots of rain in many places in the second half of June, the effect has largely disappeared – and the soil is drying out again.
Fans are selling like hot cakes in Spain: According to media reports, sales figures in Bilbao in the north of the country have risen by more than 50 percent. In 16 of the 17 autonomous communities in Spain, the heat alarm should continue to apply on Thursday, in some of these regions even red alert.
Legend:
On Wednesday evening in Seville, this woman’s thermometer measured over 44 degrees Celsius.
Reuters
Numerous forest fires have also been raging in Portugal since last week, for example in the Leiria district in the central Portugal region. Portugal’s main highway linking the capital Lisbon to Porto was blocked by a fire. Eleven major fires were active in different parts of the country on Thursday, according to the civil defense (ANEPC). A total of around 1,900 emergency services fought the fires.
Legend:
A man brings a sheep to safety from the fires in the Leiria region. (Image dated July 12, 2022)
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In the southern Algarve region popular with tourists, a fire broke out in the city of Faro and spread to a luxury resort. For about half of the country, the red alert still applies on Thursday due to extreme heat.
In Croatia, too, the fire brigade fought near the Dalmatian town of Sibenik against a forest fire that hit two villages on the Krka Riviera, which is popular with holidaymakers, on Wednesday. The residents of Zaton and Raslina were taken to safety by boats across the Stubalj Bay. The situation is worse than it has been for ten years, the civil defense said.
Legend:
Emergency services are fighting the flames near the town of Zaton in Croatia on Wednesday.
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On the Greek island of Samos, several towns were evacuated on Wednesday evening because of a forest fire that got out of control. A firefighting helicopter crashed into the sea from a low altitude off the coast of the island as the crew tried to take water to fight the fire.
Legend:
A helicopter near the Greek island of Samos takes part in a rescue operation for another crashed helicopter on Wednesday.
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Two occupants died and the pilot was later taken to hospital with serious injuries. A fourth inmate who was initially missing swam ashore, the Greek coast guard said. It was unclear why the helicopter crashed.