Man dies as European wildfires spread to edge of Madrid
Favourable overnight conditions allowed for the fire to be contained, the Community of Madrid said.
A man who had been taken by helicopter to the La Paz hospital after suffering burns on 98 per cent of his body, later died, the Community of Madrid said.
The fire has affected more than 1,000 hectares.
A prolonged heatwave in Spain continued on Tuesday, with temperatures set to reach 44 degrees Celsius in some regions, according to meteorology service AEMET.
Large parts of Europe are facing wildfire threats, as scorching weather bakes the region this week. Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heatwaves in Europe, causing more extreme weather events such as the deadly wildfires that ravaged Aude in south-west France last week.
Red heat warnings have been issued for Spain, France, Croatia, Serbia and Romania, as a high-pressure system is amplified by former tropical storm Dexter. Temperatures are forecast to exceed 42C in south-west France on Tuesday.
In Italy, a young boy died of heatstroke in Italy on Monday. The four-year-old Romanian boy died days after being found unconscious in the family's car in Sardinia.
The boy was airlifted to a Rome hospital but died of irreversible brain damage, the hospital told AFP on Monday. The news came as Italy's Health Ministry issued a red alert warning for seven major cities, including Bologna and Florence.
Extreme heat and strong winds caused the Dardanelles Strait to briefly shut to shipping on Monday evening.
The Dardanelles – a vital maritime chokepoint for oil and gas from the Black Sea and Central Asia – was quickly reopened after being closed to allow firefighting aircraft to scoop water from the sea to tackle nearby blazes.
Turkish firefighters contained wildfires ravaging its north Aegean coast, but towns and pine forests in Canakkale province are still threatened, and about 2,900 residents have been evacuated, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Several forest fires ignited overnight in Greece, leading to evacuation orders at Koiliomenos on the island of Zakinthos, at Lagkada and Argostoli on the island of Kefallonia and in the centre of the country at Varko in Etoloakarnania.
Forest fires are also raging in Montenegro, the Adriatic state heavily reliant on summer tourism. The worst hit areas are near the capital Podgorica, and on the coast, close to popular resorts where fire from a broken car quickly spread, endangering homes and hotels.
The government has called for international help, with neighbouring Serbia already dispatching firefighting helicopters.
Wildfires in Italy and Scotland this week also forced authorities to close tourist areas near Vesuvius National Park and Arthur's Seat, respectively.
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