Brits heading to Spain issued warning after devastating wildfires leave one dead
A tragic wildfire sweeping across Spain has devastated the country, with one death already recorded. An urgent warning has been issued to Brits who are planning to go to the popular tourist destination.
As temperatures rise to 30C in parts of the UK today, Europe is continuing to battle with a heatwave that has left parts of the continent with tinderbox-like conditions, causing the risk of deadly wildfires. Temperatures in parts of southern Europe are reaching extremes of 44C after days of temperatures hitting over 40C.
Now, in a town just outside Madrid, wildfires have begun burning across more than 1,000 hectares of land around Tres Cantos, just 23km north of the Spanish capital. Emergency crews have been battling the fire overnight, and after a still night, were mostly able to get the fire under control. It comes after an exciting heatwave forecast with maps revealing the exact date a 39C heat plume will scorch the UK.
A man has been killed in a wildfire that broke out in a town near Madrid as Europe continues to grapple with extreme heat. Emergency crews battled the blaze in Tres Cantos overnight, which is located some 23km north of the Spanish capital - with more than 180 people evacuated.
A helicopter had managed to rescue the man from the blaze; however, having already suffered burns on 98% of his body, he died in La Paz hospital.
But with the hot, dry conditions, creating the perfect recipe for wildfires, it is not the only blaze Spanish fire fighters have been left tackling.
In the north of Spain, in the villages of Castile and Leon, where temperatures have been similarly hot, "fire whirls" burned through several homes and led to around 800 people being told to abandon their homes.
Juan Carlos Suarez-Quinones, the chief of environment for the regional government, told The Telegraph: "This occurs when temperatures reach around 40C in a very confined valley and then suddenly (the fire) enters a more open and oxygenated area. This produces a fireball, a fire whirl."
For much of Spain, Italy, France and other parts of Southern Europe and the Balkans, they are under red heat weather alerts where there is a significant risk to life.
The Spanish red warning says that 'exposure to excessive temperatures" can lead to health problems such as 'cramps, dehydration, heat stroke, and heat exhaustion (with multi-organ problems that can include symptoms such as gait instability, seizures, and even coma)'
Serge Zaka, an agricultural climatologist, said to BFMTV: 'Don't be fooled — this isn't 'normal, it's summer.' It's not normal, it's a nightmare."
While in France, which is battling with many of the same conditions, they have warned to be "absolutely vigilant' and the heat poses a danger to everyone, they added: 'everyone is at risk, even healthy people."
Any Brits who have ventured to the continent for a summer holiday can be particularly at risk due to a lack of acclimatisation and therefore should stay out of the sun and in cool air-conditioned rooms when possible.
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