Extreme heat sparks Southern Europe: France seeks EU assistance, Spain declares national emergency

Around 30,000 people have been forced to evacuate from France and Spain due to massive wildfires spreading rapidly, while extreme temperatures and the heatwave that has hit the Mediterranean are further worsening the situation across Southern Europe. Researchers warn that if the current conditions continue, even more severe scenarios involving unprecedented-scale wildfires cannot be ruled out.

France has activated the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism to deal with the situation caused by a major wildfire near the Atlantic coast. President Emmanuel Macron stated that the situation remains extremely critical, especially in the Gironde region in southwestern France.

According to him, France will receive support from European partners, including two Canadair firefighting aircraft from Croatia, two Air Tractor aircraft from Portugal, as well as two heavy Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

More than 18,800 people have been evacuated solely due to the wildfire on the Atlantic coast, including thousands of tourists staying in campsites and holiday homes. Firefighters continue their efforts to bring the flames under control, as the fire spreads through a dense pine forest near the village of Saumos, around 40 kilometers west of Bordeaux.

Within just over 24 hours, the fire has swept through more than 3,700 hectares of forest area. So far, no casualties have been reported, but several homes have been destroyed by the flames. French authorities said that more than 800 firefighters and four firefighting aircraft have been deployed on the ground; however, the situation remains unfavorable and the fire has not yet been brought under control.

The regional head of the fire service, Marc Vermeulen, stated that the flames are changing direction unpredictably and gaining intensity. According to him, one of the main fronts is located very close to residential areas, where teams are working to protect homes one by one.

Evacuated residents described moments of panic. Patrick Martineau, 69, said police went door to door ordering people to leave immediately, while other holidaymakers said they were alerted during the night to prepare for evacuation.

Nine reception centers have been opened in the area, providing shelter for more than 2,500 people. Many roads, including those leading toward the Cap Ferret peninsula, one of France’s most popular tourist destinations, have been closed to normal traffic.

French authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the fire. It is suspected that the flames may have been caused by machinery used to clear vegetation in the area.

France has been hit by three major heatwaves since May. According to the French Interior Ministry, more than 12,500 fires have been recorded since the beginning of the year.

Spain is also facing a severe situation. Authorities declared a state of national emergency in the Madrid region and in the province of Ávila after several wildfires spiraled out of control.

Around 10,000 people have been evacuated in the Madrid area, while the Military Emergency Unit has taken charge of the operations. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the government has deployed all available resources to fight the fires affecting Ávila, León, Toledo, Madrid, and other regions of the country, urging citizens to follow the instructions of authorities.

This year alone, nearly 125,000 hectares have been burned in Spain, while throughout last year around 393,000 hectares were affected by wildfires.

Temperatures continue to reach record levels. In the city of Cieza, in the Murcia region, thermometers reached 44.7 degrees Celsius, while the cities of Albacete, Ávila and Teruel recorded their highest historical temperatures for the month of July, with readings of up to 42 degrees.

Meanwhile, the marine heatwave has affected around 80 percent of the Mediterranean Sea’s surface. According to the Mediterranean Monitoring System, in some areas water temperatures have reached up to 5 degrees Celsius above the 1991–2020 average.

Data from the European Forest Fire Information System shows that this year the European Union has recorded the highest number of wildfires and the largest burned areas for this period of the year. By July 22, the burned surface was almost twice as large as the average of the last two decades. France has broken records for burned areas, while France and Spain have recorded the highest number of wildfire outbreaks.

Experts warn that climate change is creating increasingly favorable conditions for the spread of wildfires. Professor of forest engineering at the University of Lleida, Víctor Resco de Dios, estimates that in the future Europe could face fires comparable to those in California or Australia, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands to even one million hectares.

Forecasts indicate that the heatwave in the Mediterranean will continue in the coming days, especially from Sardinia to the coasts of Greece, while temperatures in the western part of the sea are expected to decrease slightly, without eliminating the risk of extreme conditions.

Meanwhile, analyses published this week estimate that the June heatwave caused losses of around 2 billion euros to European agriculture, following the destruction of approximately 9 million tons of agricultural products. Researchers also emphasize that climate change has significantly increased the likelihood of severe droughts in Western and Eastern Europe, creating even more favorable conditions for the spread of wildfires.

“KORÇA BOOM”