Large-scale evacuations due to wildfires in southern Europe

The wildfires in southern Europe, accompanied by an intense heat wave, are far from over. To date, thousands of hectares of forest have been destroyed in Spain, Portugal, France, Croatia and Turkey. While no people have died as a direct result of the fires yet, hundreds of people have succumbed to the heat in recent days in Portugal and Spain.

More than 16,000 people were evacuated in southwestern France six days after the shooting, according to the Associated Press news agency. Two major fires are raging near Bordeaux, which have already wiped out 11,000 hectares of forest. The high temperatures and drought make it difficult to control the fire.

More than thirty forest fires are raging across the country in Spain. According to the Associated Press, the Spanish Ministry of Defense said that a large part of the available firefighting aircraft have been deployed. The fires are mostly located in rugged, mountainous areas that are difficult for workers on the ground to reach. Thousands of people have also been evacuated in Spain.

The number of fires in Portugal decreased for a while, but rose again on Sunday. According to the Portuguese Journal de Notícias Five new fires were added in Portugal on Sunday compared to Saturday. In total, there are 16 fires, mostly in the north and in the interior, and more than a thousand firefighters are trying to put them out.

Thousands of people were evacuated in southwestern Turkey after the first fires broke out on Wednesday. According to the Turkish government, they are now under control. Wildfires also broke out in the coastal towns of Zadar and Sibenik in Croatia, but they have not yet led to large-scale evacuations, according to the BBC.