Sustainable Switch Climate Focus: Wildfires rage across southern Europe
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Today's newsletter focuses on record-breaking heat gripping southern Europe and has unleashed a wave of devastating wildfires, forcing mass evacuations, claiming lives, and spurring a surge in arson arrests.
Temperatures in Spain have pushed past 45 °C, drying landscapes into fuel and driving blazes from Portugal to Greece.
Spain – now the epicenter – has lost about 148,000 hectares to flames this year, over a quarter of the EU's total burned area.
At least seven people, including firefighters, have died, while some 9,500 residents have been evacuated.
Authorities are confronting both natural ignition and deliberate acts, with ten arson arrests since June.
Spain has appealed to its European partners for support, requesting aerial firefighting resources to bolster its strained response.
In Portugal, nearly 1,000 firefighters battled a blaze near the scenic mountain village of Piodao. Crews managed to bring under control a wildfire burning for 11 days - the longest for this season - in the mountainous area of Vila Real in the north.
In Greece, intense fires near Patras and on islands like Chios and Zakynthos have displaced thousands, overwhelmed emergency crews, and ravaged farmland and infrastructure. More than 5,000 firefighters and 33 aircraft are engaged in round-the-clock containment.
Firefighters contained several wildfires raging across Turkey, including a large blaze in the northwestern province of Canakkale that forced hundreds to flee from their homes. Both Canakkale airport and the Dardanelles Strait, which connects the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara, were temporarily shut due to the wildfires earlier this week.
A man also died in a fire in Albania, while a 61-year-old Hungarian seasonal worker is suspected to have died of heat-related causes while picking fruit in Lleida, in Spain's eastern Catalonia region.
In Montenegro's mountainous Kuci area, northeast of the capital Podgorica, one army soldier was killed and another badly injured when a water tanker they were operating overturned, the Defence Ministry said.
Global warming is giving the Mediterranean region hotter, drier summers, scientists say, with wildfires surging each year and sometimes whipping up into "whirls".
WHAT TO WATCH
Click here, opens new tab for an insightful Reuters video on Abdul Karim Abbas, a gardening volunteer who is attempting to fight one of Iraq's most pressing threats: desertification.
NUMBER OF THE WEEK
$275 million
The total amount racked up by a Washington state entrepreneur and a former Jefferies portfolio manager over a Ponzi scheme and related fraud involving water vending machines, U.S. authorities said.
Ryan Wear, the former owner of Water Station Management, was charged in Manhattan with securities and wire fraud. Jordan Chirico, who worked at Jefferies' Leucadia Asset Management unit, was charged with securities and investment adviser fraud.
CLIMATE LENS
Last month was Earth's third warmest July since records began and included a record national temperature in Turkey of 50.5 degrees Celsius (122.9 Fahrenheit), according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).
The average global surface air temperature reached 16.68 C in July, which is 0.45 C above the 1991-2020 average for the month.
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The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
Dry weather to continue across most of UK as heatwave comes to an end
Dry weather is set to continue for most of the UK following last week's heatwave. Parts of the country could see temperatures reach 27C on Monday and Tuesday. A northeasterly breeze means northern and eastern parts of the UK will be cooler on these days, reaching up to the low-20s. Some showers with the odd rumble of thunder could hit south-west England and south Wales on Monday and Tuesday, but most places will be dry throughout the week. Wetter, windier and more unsettled weather may move in from the Atlantic by Bank Holiday Monday. The continued dry spell comes after officials warned England was suffering from 'nationally significant' water shortfalls, despite rain in July. Sunday's highest temperature was 27.7C in Somerset, while West Sussex and Inverness, Scotland, also reached 27C. Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said: 'Where people get the sunshine it'll still feel fairly pleasant, it'll just be a bit chillier than it has been of late.' He added: 'We had a couple of cooler days, yesterday (and) the day before. 'The odd spot here and there might be just holding on to a heatwave, but I think most places have dipped below their criteria and may have sort of come up again. 'I would say (the heatwave) finished over the weekend.' Clouds are expected to arrive later in the week and the cooler air in the north and east will travel towards southern and western areas. Maximum temperatures will fall to 23C to 24C by Wednesday and Thursday. But the temperatures could push back up to the high-20s by the weekend, particularly during sunny spells, caused by the winds turning southerly. The national drought group, which includes the Met Office, regulators, government, water companies and other organisations, said on Tuesday that it had met as five areas of the country remained in drought, with six more in prolonged dry weather status. England is seeing widespread environmental and agricultural impacts from the lack of water, which is hitting crop yields, reducing feed for livestock, damaging wetlands and river wildlife, and increasing wildfires, the group said. Experts warn climate change is driving more extreme weather conditions in the UK, worsening drought and dry spells, and making heatwaves more frequent and severe.
The Sun
7 hours ago
- The Sun
Wildfires ‘out of control' in Spain as thousands evacuated and extra 500 troops deployed with holiday hotspots on alert
RAGING wildfires are reportedly out of control in Spain - with thousands evacuated and 500 troops deployed across holiday hotspots. Terrifying infernos spread across Galicia, Extremadura, Castilla and León, and Asturias - sparking alarming high-level alerts across the regions. 8 8 8 8 In Galicia, the fires burned over 50,000 hectares of land - the most ever burned during a wildfire in the region. The majority of the flames here ripped through the city of Ourense, wreaking havoc on locals and tourists alike. It was reported that 13 of the fires there are currently active as of Sunday evening, but several could become active again. In Castilla and León, there were reportedly 27 active forest fires on Sunday. Over 3,500 residents were forced out of their homes in the provinces of León, Zamora, Salamanca, and Palencia. There are a total of 21 active forest fires in the province of León - seven of which are category 2 and four of which are level 1. The wildfires are evolving irregularly, and all of them are being closely monitored for possible re-ignitions. A spokesperson for the regional government in León, Eduardo Diego, said the evacuation of the town of Castropetre had been agreed upon due to the Gestoso fire. This blaze reportedly spread from Ourense and has a very active front towards León. Meanwhile, the Jarilla fire tearing through Cáceres, in the heart of Extremadura, is "completely out of control", the president of the regional government María Guardiola said. Desperate moment Greek locals run into the sea to get on rescue boats as wildfires rip through dozens of residential regions This fire has already spread to the Port of Honduras and is only 7km from the provincial border of Salamanca. Castile and León has therefore been warned that the fire could enter its territory. In six days, the blaze has devastated 9,000 hectares of land. It sparked a mass evacuations in Gargantilla as well as a lockdown in Hervás on Sunday. The area is said to be very difficult to access, and 17 teams are currently working there. On top of this, Molina Ferrera was confined due to the Yeres/Llamas de Cabrera fire. 8 8 A total of 12 towns have been evacuated due to this blaze, with 681 residents out of their homes. It comes as hundreds of dangerous and deadly wildfires have plagued Europe in recent weeks with dozens of holiday hotspots left ravaged. On Saturday, terrifying footage emerged showing the horrifying moment a fire tornado violently erupted in Portugal, killing a mayor in its blaze. Portugal's northern region of Aguiar de Beira was left burned on Friday as a fire tornado cascaded through the area. This rare phenomenon is formed in intense heat when the air surrounding a fire begins to rotate into a vortex. Portugal, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Italy and Bulgaria are all still reeling from the deadly fires that have sprung up this summer. Brits have been put on high alert over wildfires tearing through the popular holiday island of Tenerife in Spain. Just a couple weeks ago, a fire sparked in the north and continued to spread towards busy resorts in Santiago del Teide. Locals were ordered to evacuate the area and the island was put on red alert for the high risk of forest fires. 8
BBC News
8 hours ago
- BBC News
Outbuilding blaze in Southend spreads to rubbish pile and trees
Firefighters have been tackling a large fire in Southend, with nearby residents advised to keep their doors and windows shut to keep out County Fire and Rescue Service was called at about 16:00 BST to Eastern commander Dean Riley said: "Crews arrived to a well developed fire which was spreading from an outbuilding to a pile of rubbish and nearby trees."Firefighters have worked hard in very warm weather conditions to surround the fire and stop it from spreading to nearby buildings and a supermarket." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
