Substitute while the actions of the article are loading
Forest fires in Spain have destroyed thousands of acres of land and forced hundreds of residents to flee their homes amid severe heatwaves across Europe.
Some of the fires continue to burn, with firefighters working to put out the blaze, which has now devastated some 49,000 acres, according to the regional governments of Castile and Leon. On Friday, the World Meteorological Organization warned that the whole of Spain was facing an “extreme fire risk” due to heat and drought.
The early heat wave broke some records in Spain, with Valencia Airport setting a record high on Friday in June, recording a temperature of 102 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius) and surpassing the records set in 2017. In Madrid, temperatures rose to about 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.5 degrees Celsius) according to the State Meteorological Agency is the earliest major heat wave in more than four decades.
“What we are witnessing today is unfortunately a prediction of the future,” Clare Nulis, a spokeswoman for the World Meteorological Organization, told the Independent over the weekend, warning that early heat waves were driven by climate change.
Johann Rockström, director of the German-funded Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, called Twitter the “new normal” and warned that extreme weather would only worsen if global emissions were not reduced.
What you need to know about how forest fires spread
The Sierra de la Culebra, a mountain range in Castile and Leon in northwestern Spain, was one of the most devastated areas, with a workers’ association calling the forest fire a “real monster” because it formed a towering orange wall along the once lush green landscape. .
Emergency planes dropped water on rural areas in the west on Monday to stop the re-ignition of the flames as forest fires continued to burn in areas including Navarre and Catalonia, Reuters reported.
Hundreds of firefighters are working in several regions, including Zamora in the northwest and Valencia in the southeast, to put out the blaze.
Authorities in northeastern Catalonia said over the weekend that emergency services were struggling to contain more than 30 fires, the Guardian reported.
The heat wave in Europe has hit France as well, and a warning has been issued in the UK by the Health Security Agency as the country registers its hottest day of the year. Temperatures in London exceeded 89 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) because of what experts said was a blast of hot air from North Africa.
Heatwave breaks records in France, kills birds in Spain
Add Comment