Heatwave fuels wildfires across Europe

Science

Yahoo

A new wave of record heat and exceptional dryness has driven multiple wildfires across France, central England and northern Greece, forcing evacuations and heavy firefighting operations. In France, the driest year on record coincided with a fast-moving blaze in the Landes that prompted more than 500 people to leave Luglon and hundreds of firefighters to deploy, while a historic fire near Bordeaux last month displaced about a quarter of a million people. In Britain, the West Midlands saw houses burned and officials recorded 1,017 wildfires in England and Wales this year; Greece evacuated more than 300 people by sea after a coastal pine fire. Temperatures approached 41 C in parts of France and topped 38.1 C in west London, and authorities link the extreme heat to human-caused climate change.

Record heat and drought have driven widespread European wildfires.