Another 3,500 people evacuated by forest fires in France, 2,000 hectares of land already destroyed in Spain | Heat

Two villages were evacuated west of a fire on Saturday. But the wind direction often changes and since last night the wind has been blowing from the west, pushing the fire to the east. The three municipalities are located east of the wildfire.

“The evacuations must always be adapted to the wind,” said a firefighter. The fire has already reduced 100 square kilometers to ashes. Due to the wind and high temperatures between 40 and 45 degrees, the fire brigade does not yet have a chance to control the fire.

Two large forest fires are raging in Gironde, the one at Landiras and further west on the coast at Arcachon. More than 14,000 hectares of forest have gone up in flames, 16,000 people have already been evacuated, including 6,000 campers on the beach. About 1,700 firefighters supported by nine firefighting planes are trying to get the fire under control.

Temperatures will drop slightly in southwestern France over the next few days. Where it is 38 degrees today, meteorologists from Méteo France predict that tomorrow it will be ‘only’ 28 degrees Celsius. However, the question is whether this makes fighting the fires easier. Tomorrow evening, however, there is a chance of thunderstorms, which could lead to more forest fires. And in the days that follow, the temperature rises again to around 30 degrees.

Spain is also struggling with severe forest fires. Authorities yesterday reported about 20 wildfires in several parts of the country, from the south to Galicia in the far northwest. A fire in the Mijas Mountains, near the southern coastal city of Malaga, has so far destroyed about 2,000 hectares of land. The fire forced just over 3,000 people to leave their homes, but about 2,000 of them have since returned.

In Spain, the mercury rises above 40 degrees. The country has since regretted two deaths as a result of the forest fires. A firefighter was killed on Sunday while extinguishing the fire in Zamora, in the northwest. Today, the body of a 69-year-old shepherd was found in the same mountain area.

Many forest fires also raged in parts of Portugal last week. The weather there has now turned slightly and cooler air, well below 30 degrees, ensures that extinguishing the fires is a bit easier. About 600 firefighters are still working in the north of the country.