Latest news with #LasMedulas
CBC
6 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
High heat and strong winds cause 'fire whirls' in Spain
Scorching temperatures across Spain have sparked several wildfires, including one near Las Medulas National Park. There, firefighters were forced to retreat, after the conditions created fireballs and fire whirls. Hundreds of people in nearby villages were forced to leave their homes.
Al Jazeera
7 days ago
- Climate
- Al Jazeera
Wildfires blaze through parts of Europe as heatwave hits
A new heatwave has gripped parts of Europe, sending temperatures up to 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 degrees Fahrenheit), with wildfires wreaking havoc and forcing evacuations as the impact of global warming is keenly felt on the continent. Firefighters in northwestern Spain struggled on Monday to contain a wildfire that damaged an ancient Roman mining site and forced hundreds of residents to flee. Regional Environment Minister Juan Carlos Suarez-Quinones said the firefighting effort near the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Las Medulas faced 'many difficulties' due to high temperatures and winds of up to 40 kilometres per hour (25 miles per hour). Extreme heat and strong winds caused 'fire whirls'. 'This occurs when temperatures reach around 40 degrees Celsius [104F] in a very confined valley and then suddenly [the fire] enters a more open and oxygenated area,' Suarez-Quinones said. Four people, including two firefighters, have suffered minor injuries, he added. 'We will not allow people to return until safety in their communities is absolutely guaranteed,' Suarez-Quinones told reporters, estimating that about 700 people remained displaced. Authorities said damage to the Roman gold-mining area famed for its striking red landscape in northwestern Spain will be assessed once the fire is fully under control. In the northern part of neighbouring Portugal, nearly 700 firefighters were battling a blaze that started on Saturday in Trancoso, about 350km (200 miles) northeast of Lisbon. The French national weather authority, Meteo-France, placed 12 departments on red alert, the country's highest heat warning, anticipating exceptional heat stretching from the Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean plains. 'Don't be fooled. This isn't normal, 'it's summer.' It's not normal. It's a nightmare,' agricultural climatologist Serge Zaka told BFMTV. The red alert in France has been issued only eight times since it was created in 2004 after a deadly summer the year before. Three major fires also blazed along the borders with Greece and Turkiye, including one near Strumyani that reignited after three weeks. In Bulgaria, temperatures were expected to exceed 40C (104F) on Monday with maximum fire danger alerts in place. Nearly 200 fires have been reported. Most have been brought under control, localised and extinguished, but the situation remains 'very challenging', said Alexander Dzhartov, head of Bulgaria's national fire safety unit. Hungary on Sunday recorded a new national high of 39.9C (104F) in the southeast, breaking a record set in 1948. Budapest also recorded a city record at 38.7C (101.6F). Wildfires destroyed several homes in Albania as firefighters battled blazes in sweltering conditions on Monday. According to Albania's Ministry of Defence, firefighters and soldiers subdued most of the close to 40 fires that flared up within 24 hours but more than a dozen were still active. In Croatia, about 150 firefighters spent the night defending homes from a blaze near the port city of Split.
Daily Mail
11-08-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Europe burns: 'Deliberate' wildfires force evacuations of 1,400 people in Spain as uncontrolled blazes injure several in Portugal and Mount Vesuvius is closed to tourists in Italy
More than 1,400 people were forced to flee their homes yesterday in north-west Spain as wildfires spread fast, driven by blazing temperatures and fierce winds. In and around Carucedo, roughly 400 residents were relocated, while another 700 were evacuated from towns close to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Las Medulas, once a Roman gold-mining location famed for its intense red terrain. Castile and León's regional leader, Alfonso Manueco, said arson is suspected in some instances. He wrote on X: 'We will be relentless with the perpetrators of these attacks against the lives and safety of people and our historical and natural heritage.' He also said the authorities will be 'merciless' with the arsonists. Spain's Military Emergency Unit has sent in nearly 60 troops and 20 vehicles to bolster a massive firefighting push that involves aircraft and bulldozers carving firebreaks. Fire crews warned that the heat, parched air, and shifting strong winds are hampering their efforts. Some homes have now been completely burned down, according to reports. Officials say the most troubling blaze is the one in Llamas de Cabera, where there were traffic closures on motorways due to reduced visibility from the smoke and dust. The flames are also raging in Galicia and Navarre as a second week of relentless heat continues. In Orallo and Fasgar, the fires have been given a Potential Severity Index of 1 for now. But in Ourense, raging flames have devoured 1,000 hectares of land. Forecasters reportedly failed to pick up on the cause of the devastation - dry storms, which come without rain and lots of lightning. It is also feared that latent lightning could make the situation worse. That happens when discharge from electricity from lightning is trapped in trees. Heat or wind could then cause a spark, leading to more wildfires. Thermometers have neared 40C across broad swathes of the country, prompting civil protection officials to raise wildfire risk to high or extreme. In Portugal's Vila Real, the mayor sounded the alarm over mounting resources to tackle a sweeping fire. Alexandre Favaios said: 'We are under enormous attack, with absolutely incalculable losses, the resources are clearly insufficient given the scale of what we are experiencing.' A blaze that began on August 2 in Sirarelhos was only declared contained on Wednesday, but reignited again on Saturday night and now threatens Relva, Borbela, and Lordelo near Vila Real. The mayor noted that the Vila Real district was already on red heat alert over the weekend, and that more ground units should have been in place. José Armando, president of the Parish Council of Borbela and Lamas de Olo, reported that at 6.15 pm, the village of Relva, on the slopes of Serra do Alvão, was among the most vulnerable. In Trancoso, four towns lie in the fire's path across four active fronts, while six people, including three firefighters, have been reported injured so far. Eleven people have also been treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. Operations commander Nuno Seixas told local media: 'Besides Seixas, to the north of the fire, there are villages affected by the fire, and security forces are taking whatever measures they deem necessary, whether to confine them to the village or to evacuate them.' The at-risk settlements include Rio de Mel, Rio de Moinhos, Venda do Cepo, and Celintrão, according to the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority. There are now more than 600 firefighters on the ground battling the blaze, according to reports on Monday morning. A spokesperson for the Beiras and Serra da Estrela Civil Protection Sub-regional Command warned that 'The fire is active again and is heading towards some isolated areas, with scattered houses.' Meanwhile, in Italy, tourist access to Mount Vesuvius has been halted as firefighters and military teams battle a significant wildfire on its slopes near Naples. The national fire service is fighting the blaze with 12 ground crews and six Canadair water-bombing planes, the Campania region said. Drones have been utilised alongside reinforcements from other areas, as attempts continue to starve the fire across 500 hectares in Vesuvius National Park. Park officials stated: 'For safety reasons and to facilitate firefighting and cleanup operations in the affected areas, all activities along the Vesuvius National Park trail network are suspended until further notice. Smoke has drifted all the way to the nearby archaeological site of Pompeii, though it remains open to visitors. Rising summer heatwaves linked to global warming are leaving European regions increasingly vulnerable to wildfires. Authorities in France have also said they are battling blazes that have killed one person and injured 25. Temperatures are expected to rise above 40C. At 11 am local time, some regions had already recorded up to 39C, according to Météo France. The country's health minister, Yannick Neuder, called Monday a 'high-risk day' and said the next 48 hours would be 'particularly difficult.' In July, huge blazes saw several houses burnt to the ground and two elderly people killed in Cyprus. There have also been out-of-control fires in Turkey, Albania, and Bulgaria. At the end of July, beachgoers on Italy's Sardinia Island had to be evacuated with boats as paths to flee were blocked by raging fires, and cars were set alight.
