Fires devastate forests during intense heat in Europe

Extreme heat in Europe exposes clash between climate and local way of life
Hundreds of firefighters fight forest fires in France, Spain and Portugal this Sunday (05/07), as temperatures rose again in Europe. The continent has experienced intense heat waves, which have left at least 4,700 dead this year and are widely associated with climate change by experts.
The most recent fires have already devastated more than 17,000 hectares of land (the equivalent of 17,000 football fields) in the three countries. The forecast was that temperatures would reach 40 degrees Celsius this weekend.
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In France, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez has already expressed concern that the annual summer fire season has started a month early.
Almost 600 French firefighters were mobilized to contain a forest fire that burned more than 1,000 hectares on a mountainous slope in Trevillach, near the border with Spain.
Roads in the region were closed, and authorities ordered mayors to open emergency shelters for people who might be forced to leave their homes.
Another 300 firefighters fought another forest fire in a mountainous area in the southeast of the Drôme department, near Italy.
Portugal asked neighbors for help
Fires have been raging through forests and residential areas in France, as well as in Portugal and Spain
Konrad K./SIPA/picture alliance via DW
Meanwhile, a fire near the Spanish Costa Brava coast burned more than 2,200 hectares in two days.
Firefighters, who worked throughout the night to contain the flames, said the operation on Sunday would be "complicated" by rising temperatures and the many "active outbreaks" within the fire's perimeter.
The president of Catalonia's regional government, Salvador Illa, said a man had been detained in connection with the fire, which seriously affected the protected natural area of Gavarres, between Barcelona and the French border.
In northern Portugal, emergency services said they had 80% control of a forest fire that devastated around 13,000 hectares of forest and vegetation.
A senior official responsible for civil protection, José Costa, said that the fire had spread over 35 kilometers since it started on Thursday and that 1,200 firefighters took part in the fight.
Spain and Italy sent reinforcements and combat planes, after Portugal asked for help to fight the fire that left nine people injured by burns.
Several countries on alert
Portugal asked other countries for help to contain megafire
Pedro Rocha/REUTERS via DW
Several regions in Portugal, Spain and southern France raised heat alerts on Sunday as temperatures rose again.
The latest heatwave is expected to head north on Monday. Forecasters say it could last until next weekend.
"Climate change is already here, we are living the consequences and it is still only the beginning of July," said French fire service colonel Eric Belgioino, as he appealed to people near the fire to take precautions to prevent new outbreaks from starting.
"It's going to be a long season for the firefighters fighting the fires. You need to help us."
Western Europe has already faced heatwaves this year, in May and June, that would have been "virtually impossible" without climate change, according to scientific group World Weather Attribution. Authorities in several countries fear new problems over the coming months.
Separately, in Greece, a fast-spreading forest fire broke out on Saturday night, near the suburbs of Thessaloniki, the country's second largest city. Residents of three small suburbs were asked to leave the area.
Although homes were preserved, several businesses suffered damage. A facility housing 157 people with special needs was also evacuated.
Around 120 of them, who were able to move around, were accommodated in a gym, while the rest were transferred to a psychiatric hospital, according to local authorities.

Source: G1