Hundreds of firefighters battle wildfires across southern Europe as temperatures hit 40C
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1 month · 9 summary articles
Hundreds of firefighters battled raging wildfires across southern Europe on Sunday as temperatures soared to 40°C, scorching more than 19,000 hectares of forest in France, Spain, Portugal and Greece. Authorities warned the infernos, fuelled by extreme heat and strong winds, could mark the start of an unusually early and intense wildfire season.
In France’s Pyrénées-Orientales, a blaze near Trévillach has already consumed 1,650 hectares, forcing the evacuation of 5,000 people and leaving one firefighter and a resident in critical condition . Nearly 700 firefighters, supported by aircraft, are struggling to contain the flames in rugged terrain 35 kilometres west of Perpignan. The fire’s unpredictable spread has prompted authorities to close roads and restrict access to the area, while Météo-France issued an orange heatwave alert for the Mediterranean region.
The crisis has disrupted major events, including the Tour de France. Organisers confirmed the third stage, due to finish in Les Angles on Monday, will proceed in an “adapted” format without spectators or the traditional publicity caravan . Pierre Regnault de la Mothe, prefect of the Eastern Pyrenees, said the decision was made to prioritise safety amid “very high to extreme” fire danger. “The public is asked not to approach the route or finish area,” he stated.
Spain’s Catalonia region is also under siege, where a wildfire near the Costa Brava has burned 2,200 hectares in two days. Firefighters warned rising temperatures and smouldering hotspots were complicating containment efforts, though the blaze in La Bisbal d’Empordà is now stabilised . Regional president Salvador Illa confirmed a man had been detained in connection with the fire, which severely damaged the Gavarres protected natural area.
Portugal, already reeling from a 13,000-hectare blaze in the north, has requested additional firefighting support from Morocco, Spain and the EU . Greece, meanwhile, battled 60 separate wildfires in a single day, including blazes on the tourist islands of Rhodes and Corfu that forced evacuations and blanketed Thessaloniki in toxic smoke from a factory fire .
France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nunez expressed alarm that the wildfire season had begun a month early, following June’s devastating heatwave that caused thousands of excess deaths across Europe . Meteorologists predict the extreme weather will persist until next weekend, raising fears of a prolonged crisis. Cyprus has dispatched two firefighting aircraft to France under the EU’s RescEU mechanism, while Spain and Italy have sent resources to Portugal .
With no immediate respite in sight, authorities are urging residents to prepare emergency kits and stay alert as the continent braces for what could be a record-breaking wildfire season.
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Articles
Portugal Asks Morocco, Spain, and EU for Firefighting Support
gdeltproject.org · about 4 hours ago
Fires ravage France, Spain, Portugal forests as Europes temperatures rise again Hundreds of firefighters battled forest infernos in France, Spain and Portugal on Sunday as temperatures rose again in heatwave-scarred Europe. The latest wildfires have already devastated more than 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres) of land – twice the size of Manhattan – across the three countries where temperatures in some places were predicted to touch 40°C on Sunday. Authorities registered thousands of excess deaths during one of Europes worst heatwaves in June, and with more extreme weather...
south china morning post · about 4 hours ago
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greek reporter · about 4 hours ago
🇫🇷 🇪🇸 🇵🇹 🌡️ Hundreds of firefighters battled forest infernos in France, Spain and Portugal on Sunday as temperatures rose again in heatwave-scarred Europe ➡️ u.afp.com/SKdd
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telegram_France 24 · about 5 hours ago
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news.yahoo.com · about 5 hours ago
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bluesky_AFP English · about 5 hours ago
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cyprus mail · about 5 hours ago
Incendies : 1 650 hectares brûlés dans les Pyrénées-Orientales, où létape du Tour de France de lundi est en sursis ; 300 hectares détruits dans la Drôme Epaulés par des Canadair, des centaines de sapeurs-pompiers luttent contre les flammes dans ces deux départements placés par Météo-France en vigilance orange canicule dimanche. Un sapeur-pompier et un habitant sont en urgence absolue.
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