France and Spain Struggle to Control Wildfires as Heatwave Intensifies
Heatwave Fuels Wildfires Across France and Spain
By Janis Laizans and Guillermo Martinez
LANTON, France/EL TIEMBLO, Spain, July 29 (Reuters) - Temperatures were set to soar again in France and Spain on Wednesday in a fourth heatwave of the summer, increasing the threat from wildfires that have forced large-scale evacuations of people, scorched through forests and killed wildlife.
In Spain, weather agency AEMET said temperatures were expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday in at least six regions on orange alert, the second-highest level.
In France, temperatures in the southwest, hit by devastating fires, were expected to rise from around 33 C on Tuesday to peak at 42 C, according to Meteo France, while dry winds from the southwest in the morning and from the west in the afternoon were likely to stoke flames.
French firefighters kept a major blaze west of Bordeaux stable overnight, but officials warned it was far from over yet.
"As we speak, the situation is stable but the fire is still not under control," firefighter commander Matthieu Jomain told reporters. "We remain vigilant of course today, considering the forecast weather conditions, with a new rise in temperatures and higher wind speeds in the afternoon."
Impact of Climate Change and Heatwaves
DEER KILLED BY FIRE IN SPANISH FOREST
Europe, the world's fastest warming continent, has endured record-breaking heatwaves this year, as human-driven climate change is intensifying the heat and drought that allow wildfires to spread faster.
More frequent and intense heatwaves are causing thousands of excess deaths and increasingly disrupting everyday life, from snarling road and rail travel to hindering river shipping.
Wildlife Devastation
Highlighting the devastation of the wildfire on the countryside and wildlife, Reuters drone footage from El Tiemblo, in Spain's Avila province, near Madrid, showed charred deer carcasses in a forest burnt to ashes.
A Madrid resident who gave her name as Cintia was horrified by the scene in El Tiemblo, a place she has often visited.
"We love this, the wildlife, everything around us. We used to bring food up for the animals because they’re from here. They belong to this land," she said. "And look where it is today.”
Communities and Emergency Response
VILLAGERS TRY TO PROTECT THEIR HOMES
The impact on the forests has been widespread. The wildfire in the Landes area west of Bordeaux, a popular tourist destination, has devastated 42,000 hectares (104,000 acres) of mainly pine trees.
Authorities have evacuated about 220,000 people, including holidaymakers and local residents, as the fire threatened the Cap Ferret peninsula on the Atlantic coast, only accessible by one road. Hundreds left on specially chartered ferries.
Several companies on the outskirts of the historic city of Bordeaux closed their operations preventively as the flames went as close as 15 km (9 miles) from the metropolitan area.
Local Efforts to Save Villages
In Lanton, also in the southwestern area of France ravaged by wildfires, volunteers carrying buckets of water have been trying to help protect their village.
"It’s hard, really, very hard, because we don’t have many resources. We try to help people however we can, with the little we have," local pastry chef Jonathan Segalas-Talous, 29, said on Tuesday.
"We’ve lived here for years, and we want to stay. So, we do everything we can, whatever means we have to help, we use. We help."
Weather Outlook and Firefighting Prospects
From Thursday onwards, danger levels in southwestern France appear likely to decrease thanks to some thunderstorms, lower temperatures and increased humidity, Meteo France said.
Ongoing Wildfire Threats in Spain
FIRE IN SPAIN'S CASTELLON RAGES FOR FIFTH DAY
In Spain, authorities said the situation had improved in the central provinces of Avila and Madrid, but the blaze in eastern Castellon remained out of control after burning over 10,000 hectares as weather conditions triggered several flare-ups.
Around 10,000 evacuated residents were still unable to return to their homes in Castellon. The fire's perimeter is currently estimated at 75.5 km (47 miles), regional authorities said as the fire entered its fifth day on Wednesday.
Evacuations and Recovery
Meanwhile, Madrid's emergency services said on X that the wildfire in the capital region had not spread overnight. Firefighting crews kept attempting to consolidate the fire's perimeter and extinguish remaining hot spots to prevent it from reigniting, they added.
Evacuees from 15 towns in Madrid and Avila were beginning to return to their homes, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said late on Tuesday.
(Additional reporting by Leonardo Benassatto in La Vilavella, Yves Herman in Bordeaux, David Latona and Emma Pinedo in Madrid, Inti Landauro, Kate Abnett and Sudip Kar-Gupta in Brussels, Janis Laizans in Bordeaux; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Alison Williams)
