Firefighters yesterday battled wildfires raging out of control in Spain and France, including one whose flames reached two popular Atlantic beaches.
This came as Europe wilted under an unusually extreme heatwave.
There have been no fire-related deaths in France or Spain so far, but authorities in Madrid have blamed soaring temperatures for hundreds of deaths.
And two huge blazes, which have consumed pine forests for six days in southwestern France, have forced the evacuation of some 16,200 people.
In dramatic images posted online, a wall of black smoke could be seen rolling towards the Atlantic on a stretch of Bordeaux’s coast that is prized by surfers from around the world. Flames raced across trees abutting a broad sandy beach, as planes flew low to suck up water from the ocean.
Elsewhere, smoke blanketed the skyline above a mass of singed trees in images shared by French firefighters.
Hungary, Croatia and the Greek island of Crete have also fought wildfires this week.
The scorching temperatures have reached as far north as the UK, where the UK Met Office issued its first ever “red warning” of extreme heat for Monday and Tuesday, when temperatures in southern England may reach 40C for the first time.
That would still be relatively bearable compared with the 47C recorded in Portugal’s northern town of Pinhao on Wednesday, establishing a new national record.In Spain, firefighters supported by military brigades tried to stamp out over 30 fires consuming forests spread across the country.
Spain’s National Defence Department said that “the majority” of its firefighting aircraft had been deployed to reach the blazes, many of which were in rugged, hilly terrain that was difficult for ground crews to access.
Drought conditions in the Iberian Peninsula had made it particularly susceptible to wildfires – some caused by lightning, others by accident, and some set intentionally – after a mass of hot air blew up from Africa.
Fire season has hit parts of Europe earlier than usual this year after a dry, hot spring that the EU has attributed to climate change. Some countries are experiencing extended droughts, while many are sweltering in heatwaves.
In Spain’s second heatwave of the summer, many areas have repeatedly seen peaks of 43C.