10,000 evacuated as wildfires ravage pine forests in south-west France


Thousands of firefighters were forced to evacuate 10,000 people in southwestern France when two helicopters battled wildfires, destroying pine forests along the Atlantic coast.

Extreme heat and strong winds have complicated firefighting efforts in the Bordeaux region, which has been hit by a series of wildfires around Europe.

No casualties have been reported so far in the fire in France; Although some homes and cars were damaged.

One of the fires in France is in the woods just south of the city of Arcacon, a major attraction for visitors from France and beyond during the summer.

In a park not far from the vineyards, officials battled climate change this year with more than usual.

Fire truck sprays water on forest fires near Landra (SDIS 33 by AP)

As the fire spread to the fourth day of Friday, one said the blaze was partially contained, but warned that the heat and wind from the weekend could further complicate the effort.

Some of the firefighting planes and equipment that were to be seen during the Bastil Day rally in Paris were set on fire for the Bordeaux region.

A wildfire has erupted in southeastern France and northern Paris.

Portugal was hit hard by a wildfire this week in particular. More than 3,000 firefighters clashed with Portuguese civilians on Thursday in a bid to save their homes from a series of wildfires caused by severe heat and drought.

Spain, Croatia and Hungary also battled wildfires this week. The European Union (EU) has warned member states to be prepared for wildfires this summer, which scientists say is being blamed on climate change.

Spanish wildfire
Firefighting plane launches smoke in western Spain (Gustavo Valiente Herrero / Europa Press by AP)

Temperatures in many parts of Spain have been rising for 40 days (104F) for several days and are expected to continue until next week.

Seville became the first city to participate in a pilot project in an effort to raise awareness of the health risks of high temperatures and the precautions that citizens should take.

“Climate-based heat is killing more people than other climate hazards. Heat is invisible, silent and slow, and people don’t know about it,” said Kathy Bowman McLeold, director of the Atlantic Council’s Arch-Rockefeller Resistance Center.

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