Prince William issues statement after ‘devastating wildfires’ in France, Spain and UK

Prince William issues statement after ‘devastating wildfires’ in France, Spain and UK The Prince of Wales said the wildfires are a ‘stark reminder of the challenges posed by an increasingly extreme climate’ - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Prince William has released a statement following the wildfires that have taken place across France, Spain and the UK. The Prince of Wales took to social media on Monday evening to say his thoughts were “with everyone affected” and that he was “deeply grateful to the firefighters, emergency services and volunteers working tirelessly in extraordinarily difficult conditions”. In a post on X, William said: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the devastating wildfires across France, Spain and the UK. “We are deeply grateful to the firefighters, emergency services and volunteers working tirelessly in extraordinarily difficult conditions. “These events are a stark reminder of the challenges posed by an increasingly extreme climate and the importance of protecting both people and nature.” Across the UK – and Europe, the world’s fastest warming continent – people are facing the rising risk of extreme weather such as heat and drought, fuelled by human-caused climate change, mostly as a result of burning fossil fuels. Firefighters in Spain and France are locked in a race against time to bring "unprecedented" wildfires under control before another blistering heatwave sweeps across Europe this week. In France, flames have already consumed an area roughly four times the size of Paris and are now just nine miles from Bordeaux, the nation's sixth-largest city, showing no sign of slowing. Meanwhile, central Spain faces three active fronts in the mountains north-west of Madrid, across the provinces of Madrid, Toledo, and Avila. The crisis is set to intensify further, with meteorological agencies in both countries predicting temperatures will hit a scorching 40C within days. These soaring temperatures come amid stark warnings that the devastating wildfires in France could continue to burn for weeks, if not months. Meanwhile in Scotland, wildfires have taken place at Cairngorms National Park. Around 70 firefighters remain at the scene, with nine fire appliances, specialist wildfire resources and wildfire tactical advisers, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said late Monday afternoon. The service added an estimated 25 square kilometre region has been affected, after an aerial assessment took place. The UK Government has also offered military support to tackle the wildfire. Douglas Alexander, the Scottish Secretary, said that specialist resources will be made available upon request, including Chinook helicopters for logistical and heavy-lift capacity and support from UK stand-by battalions. However, First Minister John Swinney said the UK Government’s offer was unnecessary. Mr Swinney said the Scottish Government had requested aerial support to drop water on the fire but was told that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) did not have such equipment. London Fire Brigade said it faced a busy weekend, with more than 1,300 incidents including grass fires, property fires and rescuing a person from the Thames. The brigade has urged people to avoid disposable barbecues, dispose of smoking materials and put litter in the bin or take it home to avoid starting wildfires. The UK is braced for further wildfires, with an assessment from the Met Office showing fires could be exceptionally severe by Wednesday if they start in parts of London, the South East and eastern England, as a result of the hot, dry conditions. Heat health alerts have been upgraded to amber in some areas of England as the fourth heatwave of the year looms and parts of the country struggle with persistent dry weather. The Met Office is forecasting temperatures will reach 29C to 30C widely in the South East on Tuesday, and are expected to peak as high as 35C across south-eastern England on Wednesday before easing. It is the fourth time this summer that temperatures have soared to heatwave levels, with record-breaking temperatures for the month in both May and June and another significant hot spell in mid-July. July has been 3C above average across the UK, according to provisional Met Office data, potentially putting it among the hottest three or four months of July on record. Subscribe here to get the latest updates from The Independent. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments