2 yıl önce

Europe's wildfire threat recedes as temperatures drop

Cooler temperatures have helped firefighting teams gain control over major blazes throughout southwestern Europe and the UK.

AP

The searing heat waves are part of a global pattern of rising temperatures, attributed by scientists to human activity.

Europe’s recent spate of wildfires has abated amid cooler temperatures.

No outbreak was reported in Portugal on Thursday, while French firefighters started to get the upper hand over two major blazes and Spain tamed a fire that killed two people last weekend.

Some of the 11,000 people evacuated because of the fires in Spain began returning home and a major highway in the northwestern Zamora province reopened after two days.

Spanish firefighters have been tackling nine blazes, with two said to be especially dangerous in northwestern Galicia.

Temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius and drought have worsened Spain's wildfires this year. Thursday's highest temperature in Spain was forecast to be 32 degrees Celsius.

In France, more than a week of round-the-clock battling against ferocious flames by more than 2,000 firefighters and up to 10 water-dropping planes was slowly winning out against two major wildfires in tinder-dry pine forests in southwest France.

The Gironde region’s fire service said both blazes, which forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people, were contained.

Though still fighting hot spots that could reignite blazes, the fire service said it expects to have tamped down flare-ups and tamed the fires’ embers within days.

Officials said they will probably be able to declare the fires completely extinguished within weeks.

“This is the consequence of climate change.”

Record-breaking temperatures continue to scorch most of Europe, where only 5% of households have air-conditioning, leaving hundreds of people dead and causing wildfires across the continent.

Swipe 👉 to see hottest places on Earth
— TRT World (@trtworld) July 20, 2022