See the impact of the record heat and wildfires gripping much of Europe
Firefighters across Europe struggled against multiple fires Friday as a new wave of record-breaking heat baked a swath of the continent, their task further complicated by exceptionally parched landscapes.
New wave of record-breaking heat sweeps continent
The Associated Press
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Firefighters across Europe struggled against multiple blazes Friday as a new wave of record-breaking heat baked a swath of the continent, their task further complicated by exceptionally parched landscapes.
The historic temperatures are linked to human-caused climate change, and are hitting countries more used to long cold seasons and which are ill-equipped for this sort of heat, with limited air conditioning.
With France experiencing its driest year on record, a new fire raced through woodlands overnight in the Landes region on the southwest coast. The blaze forced more than 500 people to evacuate their homes in the town of Luglon as hundreds of firefighters deployed to the area, the regional administration said Friday.
It's one of several fires scorching forests around France this week, including in normally cooler and wetter regions in the north and Brittany. A historic fire devoured forests near Bordeaux last month and pushed a quarter of a million people from their homes.
After the U.K. recorded its hottest day of the year on Thursday, firefighters spent Friday tackling fires across the West Midlands, in central England, that led to thousands of emergency calls and forced people to flee from burning homes.
Nineteen people were hospitalized, the ambulance service said.
In the town of Stourbridge, where a huge blaze started Thursday, TV footage showed the fires consuming houses, with many left without roofs as flames burned inside the charred walls. About 20 to 30 homes were completely destroyed, Stourbridge lawmaker Cat Eccles told the BBC.
A woman who was evacuated from her home in Stourbridge said police knocked on her door and urged her to leave immediately.
"They thought the fire was changing directions, and they didn't know which direction it was going in," Jane Baxter told BBC Radio. "So, it was literally 'grab what you need and get out."'
Simon Tuhill, chief fire officer of West Midlands Fire Service, said an investigation will be launched, but the fire was believed to have started in the grassland before spreading to homes nearby.
Meanwhile in Germany, all 1,800 residents of the village of Gey in the North Rhine-Westphalia state were relocated after a wildfire in the nearby Hurtgen forest threatened to reach their homes. Nearly 300 hectares of forest were ablaze on Friday morning, local authorities said.
Unexploded ordnance from the Second World War in the forest hampered firefighting efforts, German news agency DPA reported.
The cause of the blaze remains unknown.
Fourteen people are hospitalized in Croatia, of whom seven remained in life-threatening condition early Friday, from a fire that raged overnight by the coastal town of Omiš and forced more than 1,000 people to evacuate their homes.
The fire erupted late Thursday in an Omiš suburb and quickly spread because of strong wind. Public broadcaster HRT said the blaze came close to the town's centre, and parts of Omiš were left without electricity while many cars were burned.
Croatian media published photos from a crowded sports hall in Omiš where people crammed on beds and on the floor. Witnesses told HRT that people were jumping into the sea after boats also caught fire.
Firefighters put out the blaze by Friday morning as other crews in planes headed farther south toward the Pelješac peninsula, where another wildfire broke out overnight.
Albania has been battling dozens of wildfires in recent weeks, with 11 active fires reported across the country Friday.
The largest is in the Gurë-Lurë area, where the perimeter near residential homes has been brought under control, eliminating the risk of the flames spreading to the houses.
Three people have been prosecuted over that fire, which engulfed Lura National Park. They are suspected of failing to take the necessary measures to protect and safeguard the territory under their responsibility from fire, authorities said.
Meanwhile, in northern Greece, more than 300 vacationers and residents were evacuated by sea Thursday after a wildfire swept through a pine forest and threatened seaside homes, authorities said.
Belgium marked its hottest Aug. 13 on record on Thursday, with a high of 32.6 C. It's expected to hit an even higher temperature on Friday, with Brussels set to hit 37 C.
It is the country's third heat wave of the summer, fuelling fears of a severe drought. Some towns are under water restrictions, despite rain being forecast for Saturday.
WATCH | July's mass evacuations in Bordeaux:
Wildfires in Bordeaux lead to largest peacetime evacuations in France’s history
July 29|
Duration 4:59
Wildfires in the Bordeaux region in southwest France have burned up hundreds of square kilometers of land. Authorities say a heat wave and wind mean the fire is expected to spread.France shut down six nuclear reactors in recent days due to extreme heat and drought.
In one case, it was because a mass of jellyfish washed up outside a plant on the English Channel Coast, utility company EDF said.
They are appearing on many French beaches in connection with unusually warm sea temperatures.
Water used to cool some French nuclear reactors is drawn from nearby rivers, and then discharged back at a slightly higher temperature. France is experiencing its driest-ever year and had its hottest-ever June and July, so river levels are low and river waters are warmer than usual.
Plant operators are obliged to halt activity if the river temperatures get too high, according to EDF.
In a statement, the company said the shutdowns had minimal impact on France's electricity production. It said extreme weather poses no safety risks to the reactors themselves, and that the measures were taken to protect flora and fauna.
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