Europe on fire as record-breaking temperatures hit continent

Europe on fire as record-breaking temperatures hit continent The historic temperatures are linked to human-caused climate change - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Crews across Europe struggled against multiple blazes on Friday as a fresh spell of record heat swept across parts of the continent, with exceptionally parched landscapes further complicating their task. With France facing its driest year on record, a new fire spread through woodland overnight in the Landes region on the south-west coast. The regional administration said on Friday that over 500 people had been forced to evacuate their homes in the town of Luglon as hundreds of firefighters were deployed to the area. It is one of several blazes scorching forests across France this week, including typically cooler and wetter regions in the north and Brittany. Last month, a historic fire destroyed forests near Bordeaux, driving a quarter of a million people from their homes. After the UK recorded its hottest day of the year on Thursday, firefighters spent Friday tackling blazes across the West Midlands in central England. The incidents prompted thousands of emergency calls and forced people to flee burning homes, with 19 hospitalised, the ambulance service said. The historic temperatures are linked to human-caused climate change, and are hitting countries more designed for long cold seasons and ill-equipped for this sort of heat, with limited air conditioning. Meanwhile, efforts to contain a wildfire in Germany were complicated by unexploded World War II munitions, and shifting winds in Croatia spread flames deeper into a coastal suburb and forced more than 1,000 people to flee. UK wildfires come as London records its hottest day of the year In the town of Stourbridge, where a huge blaze started Thursday, TV footage showed the fires consuming houses, with many left without roofs as flames burned inside the charred walls. About 20 to 30 homes were completely destroyed, Stourbridge lawmaker Cat Eccles told the BBC. A woman who was evacuated from her home in Stourbridge said police knocked on her door and urged her to leave immediately. “They thought the fire was changing directions, and they didn’t know which direction it was going in,” Jane Baxter told BBC Radio. “So, it was literally ‘grab what you need and get out.’” Simon Tuhill, chief fire officer of West Midlands Fire Service, said an investigation will be launched but the fire was believed to have started in the grassland before spreading to homes nearby. The Met Office, the official weather agency, said 38.1C (100.6 F) was recorded in west London on Thursday, marking the hottest day of the year. While temperatures cooled slightly on Friday, many parts of the country have seen little to no rain for weeks. This July has been the driest in England and Wales since records began in 1836. Firefighters battle forest fire in Germany All 1,800 residents of the village of Gey in Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia state were evacuated after a wildfire in the nearby Hürtgen forest threatened to reach their homes. Nearly 300 hectares (1.16 square miles) of forest were ablaze on Friday morning, local authorities said. Unexploded ordnance from World War II in the forest hampered firefighting efforts, German news agency dpa reported. The fire advanced to within 300 meters (1,000 feet) of Gey, which sits on the edge of the forest near the Belgian border. Overnight a shift in wind direction raised the risk that the flames could reach Gey by morning, prompting officials to order the initial evacuation. The cause of the blaze remains unknown. Fire in Croatia leaves 14 hospitalised In Croatia, 14 people were hospitalised, of whom seven remained in life-threatening condition early Friday, from a fire that raged overnight by the coastal town of Omis and forced more than 1,000 people to evacuate their homes. The fire erupted late Thursday in an Omis suburb and quickly spread because of strong wind. Public broadcaster HRT said the blaze came close to the town’s center, and parts of Omis were left without electricity while many cars were burned. Croatian media published photos from a crowded sports hall in Omis where people crammed on beds and on the floor. Witnesses told HRT that people were jumping into the sea after boats also caught fire. Firefighters put out the blaze by Friday morning as other crews in planes headed further south toward the Peljesac peninsula where another wildfire broke out overnight. Firefighters keep Albania's largest wildfire from spreading to homes Albania has been battling dozens of wildfires in recent weeks, with 11 active fires reported across the country Friday. The largest fire is in the Gure-Lure area, where the perimeter near residential homes has been brought under control, eliminating the risk of the flames spreading to the houses. Three people have been prosecuted over that fire, which engulfed Lura National Park. They are suspected of failing to take the necessary measures to protect and safeguard the territory under their responsibility from fire, authorities said. Meanwhile, in northern Greece, more than 300 vacationers and residents were evacuated by sea Thursday after a wildfire swept through a pine forest and threatened seaside homes, authorities said. Belgium expected to set another heat record After marking its hottest Aug. 13 on record, with a high of 32.6 C (90.68 F) on Thursday, Belgium was expecting to hit its highest temperature of the summer on Friday, climbing to 37 C (98.6 F) in the capital, Brussels. Belgium is going through its third heat wave of the summer and fears about a severe drought have been high, with some water restrictions in place in certain towns, although rain was forecast for Saturday. The mercury was also set to hit 37 C (98.6 F) in the neighboring Netherlands. The country is suffering from severe drought, with water shortages in some areas, but Dutch authorities have held off declaring a water crisis as rain is expected in the coming days. French nuclear reactors shut down during heatwave France also has shut down six nuclear reactors in recent days because of extreme heat and drought — and because a mass of jellyfish washed up outside one power plant on the English Channel coast, utility company EDF said. Large numbers of jellyfish are appearing on many French beaches in connection with unusually warm sea temperatures. Water used to cool some French nuclear reactors is drawn from nearby rivers, and then discharged back at a slightly higher temperature. France is experiencing its driest-ever year and had its hottest-ever June and July, so river levels are low and river waters are warmer than usual. Plant operators are obliged to halt activity if the river temperatures get too high, according to EDF. In a statement, the company said the shutdowns had minimal impact on France’s electricity production. It said extreme weather poses no safety risks to the reactors themselves, and that the measures were taken ″to protect flora and fauna.″ Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments