France has evacuated over 14,000 people who are threatened by wildfires in the southwest, as fires also spread in Spain, Croatia, and Greece. Authorities in France’s Gironde, a popular tourist region, have evacuated guards from campsites – the tourists left earlier. Fires have spread in the Teste-de-Buch and Landiras areas.
In southern Spain, more than 3,200 people fled fires in the Mijas hills, though later some were able to return. The Mijas fires in Spain are not far from Málaga, a popular tourist area. Elsewhere in Spain, wildfires have broken out in the provinces of Castilla León and Galicia. Ellen McCurdy, living in the Málaga area, told Reuters: “We just grabbed a few essentials and just ran really, and by that stage, everybody along the street was on the move… there were a lot of ambulances and fire engines.” Across the Mediterranean – from Morocco in the west to Crete in the east – thousands of firefighters and many water bombing aircraft have been deployed. Since Tuesday, the whole region has been sweltering in severe heat, leaving vegetation and other green plants bone dry.
Portugal’s fires are contained for now. However, the Portuguese authorities say at least 238 people have died from the heat over the past week. In the UK there is an amber warning for extreme heat, as the country braces for record temperatures on Monday and Tuesday, possibly reaching 41C in some parts.
