Recent heatwaves leave Europe vulnerable to wildfirespublished at 11:40 BST
Image source, ReutersA firefighting plane dumps water over a wildfire in Los Gallardos
Heatwaves across Europe have dried out vast areas of land and made them particularly vulnerable to wildfires.
“The fire danger remains at very high or extreme levels in much of the country,” Spain’s meteorological agency says, urging people to “take extra precautions”.
In June, Spain reached its highest daily average since 1950, and had days where it recorded its highest ever temperatures for that month. Temperatures as high as 42C (107.6F) were forecast in some parts of the country.
Climate change is driving up temperatures around the world, and Europe is the fastest warming continent, heating up twice as fast as the global average, according to the Copernicus climate service.
This is causing increased summer heatwaves, greater pressure on Europe’s water supply, and more intense wildfires.
A wildfire in southern France has also forced thousands of people to evacuate as the country faces an early summer heatwave.
The fires have also affected Spain where more than 2,200 hectares in the natural reserve of Les Gavarres in the north of the country have been destroyed.
