Temperatures in some parts of southern Europe began to ease over the weekend but thousands of firefighters across the region still battled to contain hundreds of wildfires and authorities said the risk of further blazes remained extremely high.
Spain faced the eighth and last day of a more than week-long heatwave on Monday, which caused more than 510 heat-related deaths, according to estimates from the Carlos III Health Institute.
WILDFIRES IN SPAIN
Firefighters struggled on Monday, July 18, to control a wildfire in Spain’s Catalonia which had blackened more than 1,600 hectares of land.
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The fire at El Pont de Vilomara, about 56 kilometres from Barcelona, flared up again on Monday after it was stabilised by firefighters, who damped down charred areas to prevent further outbreaks.
More than 350 firefighters were working to contain the blaze with 100 planes and fire tenders joining the fight. People are asked to be extremely cautious in the coming days and warned the fire alert will remain at high risk.
Meanwhile, plumes of smoke billowed into the sky in the northern town of Tabara.
Dozens of fires have erupted across Spain, scorching acres of land and forcing authorities to evacuate people from their homes.
The heatwave, which began on July 10, has pushed temperatures into 40 degrees Celsius, increasing the risk of wildfires.
HEATWAVE IN EUROPE
On the other hand, in France, the temperature reached 39 degree Celsius in Paris on Monday and it is expected to reach 41 degree Celsius on Tuesday, July 19.
Meanwhile, Britain was also braced for temperatures to hit 40 degrees Celsius for the first time this week, with ministers urging the public to stay at home as the heatwave caused train services to be cancelled, one London airport to shut its runway and some schools to close.
Belgium and Germany were among the countries expecting the heatwave to hit them in coming days.
The European Union said it was closely monitoring wildfires raging in southern member states, sending a firefighting plane to Slovenia over the weekend, adding to recent deployments to France and Portugal.
(With input from agencies)
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