It’s hot in Britain and firefighters are battling blazes across southern Europe as a heatwave has left people seeking shade and heightened fears of climate change. A forest fire swept through a field in Spain on Monday, engulfing an excavator near the north the town of Tabara in Zamora province forced a driver to run for his life as flames burned the clothes on his back. Extraordinary footage from the Spanish province of Zamora shows a man narrowly escaping the flames. In Portugal, half of the municipality of Murca was on fire and the bodies of an elderly couple who tried to flee in a “completely burnt vehicle” were found, the mayor told local broadcaster SIC.
In southern Europe, there were some signs that conditions were beginning to ease after days of stormy peaks that killed hundreds and left rural areas dangerously dry, authorities said. But the heat wave moved to the north. Belgium and Germany expect to be hit by a heatwave in the coming days, while temperatures in southern England reached 38C on Monday and a record 40C is expected on Tuesday. British Met Office.
British train companies canceled services and some schools closed as officials urged the public to stay at home and the government activated a “national emergency” warning. Flights have been suspended at Luton Airport after staff discovered a “runway malfunction”. The hot weather melted the airport runway at Brize Norton Royal Air Force Base, Sky News reported. Sales of electric fans, hoses, air conditioners and sprinklers are up, retailers said: “We were hoping we wouldn’t get to this, but we’re forecasting over 40C for the first time ever in the UK,” Met Office climate attribution scientist Dr Nikos Christidis said. “Climate change has already affected the likelihood of extreme temperatures in the UK. “The chance of us seeing 40C in the UK could be up to 10 times greater in the current climate than in a natural climate that is not affected by human influence.”
As forest fires raged in Portugal, Spain and France, authorities warned of further risks as drought persisted. Spain faced the final day of more than a week of heatwave which caused more than 510 heatwaves. deaths, according to the estimates of the Health Institute of Carlos III. In Tabara, locals said the excavator driver, identified as Angel Martin Arjona, tried to dig a trench between the fire and the buildings. But orange flames surrounded the vehicle. Television footage showed him emerging from the fire, tripping and then scrambling to his feet as people screamed at him and a firefighter rushed to help. The driver was taken to hospital with burns, witnesses said, although there were no detailed reports on his condition.
France, Italy and Switzerland were also affected
In Portugal, temperatures dropped over the weekend, but the risk of forest fires remained very high, according to the Portuguese Institute of Meteorology. About 1,000 firefighters, supported by 284 vehicles and 18 aircraft, were battling 10 wildfires, mostly in northern areas, authorities said. The bloc is in talks with manufacturers to buy more firefighting planes, the EU’s crisis management chief said.
In the Gironde region of southwestern France, fires have destroyed 14,800 hectares, local authorities announced on Monday. More than 14,000 people were evacuated from the area. France has issued the highest possible red alert for several regions, urging residents to “be extremely vigilant”. In Italy, where smaller fires have raged, meteorologists expect temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius in several regions in the coming days. Switzerland also suffered from the consequences of the heat wave. Axpo, the operator of the Beznau nuclear power plant, said on Monday it had been forced to cut production to avoid overheating the Aare River, from which it gets its cooling water.
For more read: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/150083/heatwaves-and-fires-scorch-europe-africa-and-asia
