MADRID, 17 JUL – Firefighters struggled to contain the fires that hit southwestern Europe as the heat wave showed no signs of abating. New temperature records are also expected in Great Britain at the beginning of next week.
The fires in France, Greece, Portugal and Spain destroyed thousands of hectares of land, forced dozens of people from their homes and caused several deaths among rescuers last week. Spanish authorities reported about 20 fires still raging out of control in different parts of the country, from the south to Galicia in the far north-west. And there is another fire in the Mijas mountain range.
In Portugal, almost the entire country remained on high alert for fires despite a slight drop in temperatures, after reaching 47 degrees on Thursday. A great fire has developed in the north of the country. The Lisbon government evaluates the extension of the state of emergency by one week. In Greece, the civil protection service is monitoring a fire on the island of Crete that broke out on Friday.
In the UK, the Meteorological Bureau has issued a first “red” warning for extreme heat. The Met Office said temperatures in southern England could rise above 40 degrees between tomorrow and Tuesday for the first time, even leading to the closure of some schools. London Mayor Sadiq Khan advised citizens to use public transport only if “absolutely necessary”. National rail operators have also suggested avoiding travel.
Source: Ansa
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