- Firefighters are fighting fires in Portugal, Spain and France
- Tourists were evacuated from campsites in France
- Temperatures could test records in Portugal and Spain
LEIRIA, Portugal, July 13 (Reuters) – Thousands of firefighters battled more than 20 blazes that raged across Portugal and western Spain on Wednesday, threatening villages and disrupting holidaymakers amid a heat wave that saw temperatures soar above 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) in some parts of Europe.
In France, hundreds of firefighters backed by six water bombers battled two wildfires in the country’s southwest, forcing the evacuation of thousands of campers, Gironde prefect Fabien Bouchiot said.
In Santiago de Guarda in the central Portuguese region of Leiria, Albertina Francisco struggled to hold back tears as a cloud of black smoke billowed over the small village.
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“It was very difficult,” said Francisco, 42, who was helping her sick sister evacuate. “No one helped – the firemen and the plane (water bomber) arrived only now… The state should do more to help us.”
Some villagers rescued pets while others helped firefighters battle the flames.
In Leiria, where more than 3,000 hectares have so far burned, authorities blocked major highways and side streets as strong winds made it difficult for firefighters to battle the flames. Portugal’s most important highway, connecting the capital Lisbon with Porto, was also blocked due to another fire in the north.
Nearly 900 firefighters battled three active fires in Leiria alone, while across mainland Portugal there were 2,841 firefighters on the scene and 860 vehicles.
In Portugal’s southern Algarve region, popular with tourists, a fire broke out in the town of Faro and spread to the luxury resort of Quinta do Lago. Videos posted online showed flames passing near villas, burning palm trees and parts of golf courses.
Around half of drought-stricken Portugal will remain on red alert for extreme heat on Thursday, with the highest temperatures expected in the Santarem and Castelo Branco regions, weather institute IPMA said.
Wednesday’s highest temperature was recorded in the central city of Lusa at 46.3 degrees Celsius (115 Fahrenheit), one degree below the 2003 record.
Pensioner Antonio Ramaleiro blamed inadequate forest management in addition to the heat wave for the wildfires.
“It’s scary when the fire comes,” the 62-year-old said. “If it gets to the house, it’s a disgrace…you lose everything.”
Firefighters monitor a forest fire in Urem, Santarem region, Portugal, July 12, 2022. REUTERS/Rodrigo Antunes
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At least 135 people have suffered mostly minor injuries since wildfires broke out in Portugal last week, and around 800 people have been evacuated from their homes, according to the Civil Protection Office.
CAMPSITES EVACUATED
More than 2,700 hectares have burned so far in France’s Gironde region, prefect Buccio told BFM TV. The largest of the two fires is around the town of Landiras, south of Bordeaux, where roads have been closed and 500 residents have been evacuated.
The other is along the Atlantic coast near the iconic ‘Dune du Pilat’ – the highest sand dune in Europe – located in the Arcachon Bay area, above which heavy clouds of dark smoke could be seen rising into the sky.
This fire led to the precautionary evacuation of 6,000 people from five surrounding campsites. They were taken to a local exhibition center for shelter.
“Other campers woke us up around 4:30 in the morning. We had to leave immediately and quickly choose what to take with us,” Kristel, one of the evacuated tourists, told BFM TV.
On the eve of Bastille Day, the Gironde prefecture banned all fireworks until Monday in towns and villages close to forests.
The World Meteorological Organization warned on Tuesday that the heat wave was spreading and intensifying across large parts of Europe.
As human-caused climate change triggers droughts, the number of extreme forest fires is expected to increase by 30% over the next 28 years, according to a February 2022 UN report.
Hot temperatures also gripped China’s vast Yangtze River basin on Wednesday; firefighters tackled a forest fire near the tourist town of Datca in Turkey; and power demand in Texas hit a record high as consumers turned on their air conditioners to escape the heat. Read more
In Spain’s western Extremadura region, bordering Portugal, firefighters battled a blaze that engulfed the province of Salamanca in the Castilla y León region, burning more than 4,000 hectares.
Parts of the regions of Extremadura, Andalusia and Galicia were on red alert for extreme heat, Spain’s weather service AEMET said, adding that the highest temperature in the country on Wednesday was 45.6C in Huelva province.
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Reporting by Catarina Demoni, Miguel Pereira and Rodrigo Antunes in Leiria; Additional reporting by Andrei Halip in Lisbon, Emma Pinedo in Madrid, Benoit Van Overstraten and Dominique Vidalon in Paris; Editing by Peter Graff, Deepa Babington and Cynthia Osterman
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