Firefighters in France and Spain are facing another day battling wildfires that have resulted in hundreds of thousands of people being evacuated, with another heatwave expected to hit this week. French authorities have said this year’s wildfires, particularly the Gironde fire near the south-western city of Bordeaux, are ‘completely exceptional’.
Scale of the disaster
The wildfires have forced the evacuation of over 37,000 people in the Gironde region alone, with thousands more displaced in other parts of France and Spain. In Spain, the blaze has already burned more than 30,000 hectares of land, according to local officials.
Heatwave exacerbates conditions
A new heatwave is forecast to arrive this week, with temperatures expected to exceed 40°C in some areas, worsening the already difficult conditions for firefighters. Climate experts link the intensity of the fires to rising global temperatures, as Europe faces its worst drought in decades.
Lucy Hough speaks to Europe environment correspondent Ajit Niranjan – watch on YouTube.
