Spain and France Face High Wildfire Risk Amid Soaring Temperatures

Spain and France are at high risk of more wildfires in coming days, according to weather forecasters, while still fighting to contain deadly blazes that have already ignited amid soaring summer temperatures.

Spanish weather agency AEMET warned on Wednesday that the danger of wildfires was “very high or extreme” across most of mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands.

Wildfires have already burned more land this year in Europe than the annual average over the past two decades, data shows. The world’s fastest-warming continent has endured three stifling, virtually back-to-back heatwaves so far this year.

Scientists say human-driven climate change is increasing the intensity of heatwaves, droughts and wildfires, while also creating conditions for sudden, destructive storms.

Spanish PM visits fire-ravaged Guadalajara

Firefighters in central Spain are fighting a wildfire that has burned over 32,000 hectares (79,000 acres) in one of the country’s largest blazes on record.

The fire in rural Guadalajara, about 100km (62 miles) north of the capital Madrid, comes less than two weeks after a deadly blaze devastated a small expat community in southern Spain, killing 13 people including several foreigners.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited the fire-ravaged area in Guadalajara on Wednesday and called for a pact between political parties to fight climate change.

“Year after year we clearly see how climate change kills and destroys wealth in our communities,” Sanchez said in the village of Tamajon. “This isn’t politics. It is science, it’s about facts.”

Spain’s weather agency warned the already high risk of wildfires would likely increase further in coming days. It urged people to “exercise extreme caution” as dry ⁠thunderstorms and Saharan dust worsened the danger from the ongoing heatwave.

Although temperatures will ease slightly in some areas on Thursday, a dry westerly wind is forecast to drive a fresh surge of ⁠heat in Mediterranean regions, where highs of 42 to 44 degrees Celsius (108 to 111 degrees Fahrenheit) could be recorded in some areas.

France battles blazes

In France, less severe temperatures and lighter winds aided efforts to fight a wildfire that has burned 2,500 hectares in the southeastern Var region, damaging dozens of houses and forcing 400 people to ⁠flee their homes, local authorities said.

But the risk of more wildfires remains very high in western and southwestern France for the rest of the week, official weather forecaster Meteo-France said.

In Var, helicopters were dropping water on the wildfire to try to extinguish it.

“The situation has been very difficult,” Commander William Vogl, a spokesman for the Var ⁠firefighters, said on RMC radio. He said the fire was not yet contained but winds should become “more favourable”.

The region’s prefect, Simon Babre, said barbecues were banned, and asked municipalities to cancel any plans for traditional summer fireworks.

Officials said another fire was raging in the Hautes-Alpes, also in southeastern France.

France, which endured a stifling heatwave in late June, recorded 5,764 more deaths than usual between June 17 and July 2, according to authorities.

While the extra deaths were due to “all causes” – not all clearly linked to the heat – authorities described the excess mortality among people aged 15 and older as “unprecedented”.

Weather alerts in Italy, Greece, Cyprus

Extreme weather continued to spark warnings and restrictions in other European countries, including Italy, Greece and Cyprus.

In Italy, several fires burned across Sicily on Wednesday, prompting scattered evacuations.

For days, Italy’s civil protection agency has declared all of Sicily at the highest risk for wildfires. Winds and temperatures near or above 40C have fuelled blazes from near Palermo on the northern coast to Catania in the east and now Agrigento in the west.

In Greece, with temperatures forecast to top 41C, authorities have banned outdoor work during peak midday sun.

In Cyprus, which is also used to high summer temperatures, working outdoors was ‌banned during afternoon hours on Wednesday.