A new wave of devastating fires has engulfed Southern Europe, as extreme temperatures worsen the situation in Spain, France, and other countries in the region.
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Around 30,000 people have been forced to leave their homes, while thousands of firefighters are engaged on the front lines of the battle against the flames.
Due to fires that exceeded all forecasts during the third heatwave this summer, Madrid and the province of Ávila were placed under a state of emergency by Spanish authorities.
With the thermometer reaching up to 44.7 degrees Celsius, around 10,000 citizens in areas surrounding the Spanish capital received evacuation orders. Military emergency forces have also been involved in the firefighting operations.
The head of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, announced that the executive has made every possible resource available to stop the advance of the flames and urged residents to strictly follow the authorities’ directives.
Data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) indicate that more than 1 million hectares of land have burned in Spain since the beginning of this year.
Meanwhile, in southwestern France, a colossal fire near the city of Bordeaux has consumed over 37,000 hectares of forest in just over a day.
Over 18,800 people, including thousands of holidaymakers, have been evacuated from campsites and holiday villas. According to official announcements, some residential buildings have been reduced to ashes, while around 800 firefighters and four aircraft are battling to contain the fire fronts.
The fire has also reached the prestigious tourist area of Cap Ferret, causing road closures and the evacuation of several thousand residents.
Concern is growing over a powerful marine heatwave that has covered nearly 80% of the Mediterranean surface, where water temperatures have risen up to 5 degrees Celsius above the average recorded in the years 1991–2020.
EFFIS statistics show that by July 22, the total burned area in European Union countries was nearly double the average of the last 20 years.
Experts warn that global warming and the abandonment of agricultural lands are creating an ideal ground for giant fires, significantly increasing the risk of drought on the continent.
Víctor Resco de Dios, professor of forest engineering at the University of Lleida, stressed that catastrophic scenarios similar to those observed in California or Australia can no longer be ruled out.
“Soon we will have to accept as possible scenarios of the ‘Dante’s Inferno’ type, where flames devour hundreds of thousands or even a million hectares,” he declared.
Heatwaves are causing severe consequences for populations, agriculture, and ecosystems, while scientists emphasize that climate change has made conditions for fire spread more favorable than ever before.
