Newsletters
France, Portugal, and Spain are struggling with wildfires that occurred due to the combination of extreme heat and strong winds.
The latest wildfire happened on Sunday, July 5, on a mountainside at Trevillach, between France and Spain.
Local authorities stated via social media that almost 600 firefighters were deployed in the area of the Pyrenees-Orientales mountains.
Due to the geographical conditions, some territories are hard to reach to put out the fire.
Despite intensive efforts from the air and on the ground, the fire destroyed an area of around 1,000 hectares.
According to a statement by officials on social media, the fire broke out at night.
The most recent wildfires have already destroyed more than 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres) of land—twice the size of Manhattan—across the three countries.
Officials recorded thousands of excess deaths during one of Europe's worst heatwaves in June, and further extreme weather is expected.
France's Interior Minister Laurent Nunez has expressed concern that this year's wildfire season has begun a month earlier than usual.
When temperatures reach 35-40 degrees Celsius, combined with winds blowing from the Mediterranean, any spark on dry vegetation can turn into massive wildfires. French fire service Colonel Eric Belgioino stated, "Climate change is here; we are living the consequences, and it is only the start of July.”
Set as preferred source
2 min read
