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| Fri, 15th Jul 2022 8:04:00 |
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Europe heatwave: Thousands escape wildfires in France, Spain and Greece |
Residents and holidaymakers have fled towns and villages in France, Spain and Portugal as fires are whipped up by high winds and tinder-dry conditions.
More than 11,000 people have been forced to leave France's south-western Gironde region in the past few days.
Dozens of fires are burning in Portugal and Spain where temperatures have surged above 40C.
At least 281 deaths in both countries were linked to the heat and several towns in western Spain were evacuated.
Portuguese villagers were also told to flee when flames crossed the border from Spain.
The head of France's firefighters' federation has warned of the impact global warming is having on civil protection. "It's firefighters, civil security who deal with the effects on a daily basis - and these effects aren't in 2030, they're right now," said Grégory Allione.
Heatwaves have become more frequent, more intense, and last longer because of human-induced climate change. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.
Firefighters in Spain fought to protect the town of Monsagro as fires erupted further south in the Monfragüe national park, home to rare species of birds. The main N-5 route in Cáceres just east of the park was cut off when a forest fire reached the road.
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