LEGE-CAP-FERRET, France – France and Spain on July 30 glimpsed a reprieve from some of the worst wildfires in living memory, which have sent hundreds of thousands of people fleeing – among them Hollywood star George Clooney and his wife Amal.
But other blazes have broken out in different parts of Europe as the forest fire season takes hold, including deadly ones in Greece, as well as in Britain, Portugal and Turkey.
The unusual intensity of some of the fires underlines the increasing risk the continent faces as climate change parches vegetation and makes the emergencies more extreme, scientists say.
France: ‘Resolutely optimistic’
“We are resolutely optimistic… We can assume that the worst is behind us with this totally unprecedented fire,” said Interior Minister Laurent Nunez on BFMTV.
The prefect of Gironde, the French region worst hit by the fires, said July 30 had offered some hope.
“It is the first somewhat optimistic day, because we have the feeling that we are beginning to return to normal life and that things are starting to improve significantly,” said Sophie Brocas.
French firefighters have been battling a massive wildfire west of Bordeaux, which forced the evacuation of 220,000 people.
Earlier on June 30, their service also said they were “reasonably optimistic” the blaze was no longer progressing.
Firefighting chief Marc Vermeulen said hotspots in the wildfire zone had dropped from six to three since the morning.
The wildfire has destroyed more than 200 homes and 42,000 hectares and killed two firemen.
Smaller fires were affecting other parts of southern France, including one in Brignoles on July 29 that forced Clooney, his wife Amal and their nine-year-old twins to flee their estate.
Spain: State of emergency lifted
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez lifted a state of emergency over a wildfire west of Madrid, after the prefect’s office said there were no longer any “active fronts”.
More than 60,000 people had been evacuated during the worst of the fire, but by July 30 most had been allowed to return home.
In the adjoining Avila region, another inferno raging since last week has become the biggest since Spain’s records began in 1961, burning 50,000 hectares.
A woman and her daughter searching through the rubble of their campsite cabin on July 30, in El Barraco, 100km west of Madrid.
PHOTO: AFP
Spain is experiencing a new heatwave this week, which officials warned could reignite fires in the Madrid region.
Near Spain’s border with Portugal, a new fire broke out on July 29 Fermoselle, forcing the evacuation of more than 600 people, emergency services said.
Greece: ‘Difficult days’
Three firemen have died in Greece battling blazes there: two on the island of Crete, and the other near Gythelo on the mainland.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned of “difficult days” ahead as the summer heat persists and Greece’s usual forest fire season comes into full force.
The fires in south-west Crete, forced the evacuation of 8,000 people, some by coast guard vessels, as it threatened the village resort of Agia Galini.
Three hundred firefighters were combating them.
Daniela Schmidt, an Austrian tourist, told AFP by phone she had seen wildfires sweep parts of the island overnight. Unable to return to their hotel, she and her family were evacuated from an island spot in their bathing suits.
Britain: ‘Dynamic’ fire
Firefighters in eastern England were “making good progress” battling a “dynamic” wildfire which has engulfed swathes of heathland and prompted the evacuation of dozens of residents and visitors.
The wildfire, at Dunwich Heath north-east of London, had grown to cover around 150 hectares – the size of approximately 210 football pitches.
“Although the fire is dynamic, it remains stable and Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service is making good progress and confident that tactics are working,” a statement said.
In Scotland, firefighters are still fighting a wildfire in the Cairngorms National Park which has been burning for more than two weeks and destroyed about 25 square kilometres of moorland.
Portugal: 800 firemen deployed
In northern Portugal, in Valpacos, nearly 800 firemen were battling a forest fire in the north of the country, the civil protection service said.
Firefighters battling flames in Valpacos, Portugal, on July 30.
PHOTO: EPA
Five people have been lightly injured, including three firemen and a police officer, it added.
Burning since July 28, it has consumed more than 6,000 hectares, said the service.
Turkey: fires near tourist areas
Firefighters in Turkey were battling forest fires near the popular tourist regions of Antalya and the Dardanelles.
A volunteer trying to extinguish a wildfire as it burns in Fethiye, in the southwestern Mugla province of Turkey, on July 30.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Agriculture Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said all but five of 110 fires sparked across the country were under control.
Turkey’s forestry agency said “intensive operations” on the ground and from the air were tackling blazes along the frequent fire routes along coastal areas from Antalya to Alanya, and from Mugla to Fethiye. AFP
