JERTE, Spain, July 17 (Reuters) – Authorities across southern Europe battled on Sunday to control massive wildfires in countries including Spain, Greece and France, with hundreds of deaths blamed to soaring temperatures that scientists say are compatible with climate change.

In Spain, helicopters dropped water on the flames as heat above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and often mountainous terrain made the job more difficult for firefighters.

Shocked residents watching thick plumes of smoke rise above the valley in central western Jerte said the heat made their previously green and cool home more like the semi-arid south of Spain.

“Climate change affects everyone,” said resident Miguel Angel Tamayo.

A study published in June in the journal “Environmental Research: Climate” concluded that it was very likely that climate change would worsen heat waves. Read more

So far, more than 1,000 deaths have been attributed to the heat wave which lasted nearly a week in Portugal and Spain. Temperatures in Spain reached 45.7 C (114 F).

Spain’s weather agency has issued temperature warnings for Sunday, with maximum temperatures of 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit) predicted in Aragon, Navarre and La Rioja in the north. He said the heat wave would end on Monday, but warned temperatures would remain “abnormally high”.

Fires were raging in several other regions, including Castile and Leon in central Spain and Galicia in the north on Sunday afternoon. Firefighters stabilized a blaze in Mijas, Malaga province, and said evacuees could return home.

British pensioners William and Ellen McCurdy fled for safety on Saturday with other evacuees to a local sports center from their home as the fire approached.

“It was very quick…I didn’t take it too seriously. I thought they had everything under control and I was quite surprised when it seemed to be moving in our direction,” William said. , 68, told Reuters.

In France, wildfires have now spread to 11,000 hectares (27,000 acres) in the southwestern region of Gironde, and more than 14,000 people have been evacuated, regional authorities announced on Sunday afternoon.

More than 1,200 firefighters were trying to bring the flames under control, authorities said in a statement.

France has issued red alerts, the highest possible, for several regions, inviting residents “to be extremely vigilant”.

In Italy, where smaller fires have broken out in recent days, forecasters expect temperatures above 40C in several regions in the coming days.

Similar temperatures were recorded in Portugal on Sunday and are expected in Britain on Monday and Tuesday, which would surpass its previous official record of 38.7C (102F) set in Cambridge in 2019.

Britain’s National Meteorologist has issued its first red ‘extreme heat’ warning for parts of England. Rail passengers have been advised to travel only when absolutely necessary and to expect widespread delays and cancellations.

DROUGHT IN PORTUGAL

About 1,000 firefighters tried to bring 13 forest and rural fires under control in central and northern Portugal, the largest being near the northern town of Chaves.

Portugal’s health ministry said on Saturday evening that in the past seven days 659 people have died due to the heat wave, most of them elderly people. He said the weekly peak of 440 deaths occurred on Thursday, when temperatures exceeded 40C (104F) in several areas and 47C (117F) at a meteorological station in the Vizeu district in the center of the country.

On Saturday, there were 360 ​​heat-related deaths in Spain, according to figures from the Carlos III Health Institute.

Portugal was struggling with extreme drought even before the recent heat wave, according to data from the national meteorological institute. Some 96% of the continent was already suffering from severe or extreme drought at the end of June.

Emergency and Civil Protection Authority Commander Andre Fernandes urged people to be careful not to start new fires in such dry conditions.

In Greece, firefighters said on Saturday that 71 fires had broken out in 24 hours.

Reporting by Guillermo Martinez, Layli Foroudi, Sergio Goncalves, Jessica Jones, Renee Maltezou, Jon Nazca and Mariano Valladolid Writing by Raissa Kasolowsky, Frances Kerry and Frank Jack Daniel Editing by Mark Potter, Philippa Fletcher and Gareth Jones

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