The situation is nightmarish in Portugal, Spain, France and Croatia, with fire fronts raging and thousands of residents leaving their homes.
Many European countries are facing devastating fires and extreme heat.
The situation is nightmarish in Portugal, Spain, France and Croatia, with fire fronts raging and thousands of residents leaving their homes.
Fiery inferno in Portugal with flames engulfing houses in the village of Bemposta in the north. The flames surround the houses but the residents refuse to leave them.
“Last night was tragic because it’s so hot that you have to get up 50 times during the night,” describes a resident of Lisbon
Residents refuse to leave their homes, refusing to leave even if it puts their lives at risk.
More than 2,600 firefighters are battling the flames on at least 24 fronts.
Neighboring Spain is also facing large fires. But also with the second heat wave of the summer with the temperature expected to peak today.
Large parts of Extremadura, Andalucia and Galicia have been put on red alert due to the heat wave, with the temperature expected to exceed a record 47.4 degrees Celsius.
More fires across the continent are burning thousands of hectares of land, prompting residents and visitors to evacuate the areas.
In flames and the south of France with 5000 people moving away from their homes. The smell of smoke is horrible. Campsites where thousands of tourists were vacationing were evacuated in Giron, while an alarm has been sounded in the town of Llandis to the south of Bordeaux. More than 1,000 hectares of land have already burned.
The heat wave also hit France and is expected to become more intense over the weekend. The strong winds blowing in Vodice, Croatia make the work of the fire brigade even more difficult. The flames are dangerously close to the houses.
“The fire reached around the house and we had to defend it. We used water. A part of the roof caught fire,” describes a resident.
The heatwave is also causing discomfort in the UK. As a BBC journalist points out, the UK is also facing unprecedented heat. A rare “Amber” warning has been activated for parts of England and Wales.
This means there is a risk of travel delays, road and rail closures, power outages and even public health.
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