The United Kingdom decrees a national emergency, while Portugal, France, Greece or Italy face the flames
Europe is facing a heat wave with record temperatures causing devastating fires, especially in the south of the continent, where countries such as Portugal, France, Italy or Greece are fighting the violent flames. The entire Portuguese country is at extreme risk of fires, with temperatures reaching up to 42 degrees. So far, between 12,000 and 15,000 hectares have already burned, an even higher figure than those that were affected in 2021.
This Saturday, however, the situation seemed to improve, with only one major active fire in the north of the territory, between the districts of Baiao and Amarante. “We anticipate having this fire contained during the day,” said the Civil Protection commander, André Fernandes. Yesterday, a pilot of a fire-fighting plane that crashed in the Guarda region, in the north of the country, died. In recent weeks, the fire has left at least two dead and sixty injured.
The flames also devastate the south of France. Firefighters continue their work, especially in the Gironde department, where almost 10,000 hectares of forest have been burned by fire since Tuesday. In Teste-de-Buch, one of the most affected areas, the fire has been contained, although it is not yet under control, according to the authorities. The fires in this French area have mobilized more than a thousand firefighters and have forced the evacuation of 12,000 people as a precaution. This weekend much of the territory reaches 40 degrees.
In northern Europe, in the United Kingdom, the Government has declared a national state of emergency for the first time due to temperatures of 40 degrees, which breaks the record of 38.7 that the country reached in 2019. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan advised its inhabitants not to use public transport except in case of absolute necessity and some schools announced that they will remain closed in the south of England during the heat wave.
Evacuated populations
One of the countries most affected by fires every summer is Greece, where firefighters considered a fire that originated the day before on the island of Crete, the cradle of Hellenic civilization and of great archaeological value, to be controlled this Saturday. As a result of the flames, seven rural towns have had to be evacuated. Although they approached the settlements, no houses were damaged, said the mayor of the town of Agios Vasilios, Ioannis Tatarakis. The danger has not yet passed. And it is that only throughout this week, the Greek firefighting services have faced a hundred fires in the south of the country.
In Italy, the fire has affected the center and north of the country since the beginning of the week. Now there are fears of the havoc that high temperatures could cause in the much drier southern zone. Added to this heat wave is a drought that has not been recorded in seven decades, which further complicates the fight against the flames.
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