Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) Wildfires raged in Greece, France, and Spain on Sunday, with daily temperatures exceeding 40 Celsius.
The heat wave in Spain and Portugal killed more than 1,000 people thus far, according to Reuters reported on Sunday.
Spain reported temperatures of 45.7 Celsius, with the State Meteorological Agency predicting that the heat wave will end on Monday, but warning that temperatures would remain “abnormally high.”
The country reported 360 deaths attributed to the heat wave by Saturday, with authorities stressing that more than 600 troops are helping firefighters to bring the fires under control.
The Portuguese Ministry of Health noted on Saturday that 659 deaths were attributed to the heat wave in the last week, of which 440 were on Thursday when temperatures rose above 40 Celsius in several regions.
The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere pointed out that 96% of the country in severe or extreme drought at the end of last month. Authorities called on citizens no to light fires in such conditions.
French authorities noted in a statement on Sunday that more than 1,200 firefighters were trying to bring under control wildfires that spread across more than 11,000 hectares.
Unfavourable conditions
The wildfires are spreading in Gironde, in the southwest of the country, with more than 14,000 people evacuated by Sunday afternoon. Local authorities warned on Sunday that weather conditions remain unfavorable, stressing that gusting winds are helping the fires to spread.
Authorities issued alerts in several regions and called on residents to stay vigilant.
Several smaller fires spread across Italy last week, with temperatures to exceed 40 Celsius in several regions in the coming days according to forecasts.
Authorities in Greece reported on Saturday that 71 wildfires broke out in the last 24 hours.
Croatia and Hungary also battled wildfires last week, while a wildfire in Morocco forced more than 1,000 families to evacuate and killed at least one person. The UK is also expecting high temperatures this week that could exceed the record high of 38.7 Celsius from Cambridge in 2019. The UK Meteorological Office issued a warning for parts of England, predicting that temperatures will exceed 40 Celsius today or on Tuesday.
