Southwestern Europe entered a sixth day on Saturday of summer heat that fueled massive forest fires as parts of the continent braced for new temperature records early next week.
Firefighters in France, Portugal and Spain, as well as Greece, have been battling the blaze since the beginning of the week, which has destroyed thousands of hectares of land and engulfed dozens of people.
He said temperatures could reach between 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) and 40 degrees Celsius in southern France on Saturday, with new records expected on Monday.
The call came as disaster officials blamed climate change after Italy’s largest Alpine glacier sent snow and rock down the mountain earlier this month, killing 11 people.
– ‘Extremely careful’ –
“The risk of fire is very high,” Civil Defense chief Andre Fernandez warned in a statement at midday.
He said after an air cargo ship fighting a fire in northern Portugal crashed on Friday, killing the pilot.
In Spain, the National Meteorological Agency has issued different warning levels across the country, warning of up to 44C in different regions.
– UK Crisis Summit –
The fire has burned thousands of hectares in Spain’s Extremadura region.
To the north, people were also bracing for unusually warm weather.
The Met Office said temperatures could exceed 40C for the first time in southern England on Monday or Tuesday.
Some schools in southern England have told parents they will remain closed early next week during a heatwave.
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It was originally published as a forest fire in southwestern Europe.
