Firefighters across Spain, Portugal, and Greece battled ongoing wildfires Friday, the last day of a significant religious holiday in all three countries. The hot, dry conditions are expected to continue for several more days.
In Spain, 14 major fires were burning, with temperatures set to rise over the weekend. “Today will once again be a very tough day, with an extreme risk of new fires,” said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
The largest blazes in the north and west of the country pose an extreme fire risk, according to the national weather agency AEMET. The European Forest Fire Information System reported that 158,000 hectares (610 square miles) have burned this year – roughly the size of metropolitan London.
In Portugal, nearly 4,000 firefighters fought seven major fires on Friday. Authorities extended their state of alert until Sunday as high temperatures are expected to last through the weekend.
The EU’s civil protection mechanism has been called upon by Greece and other countries to help fight wildfires. The mechanism has already been activated numerous times this year, more than all of last year’s fire season.
Climate scientists say that climate change is exacerbating heat and dryness in parts of Europe, making the region more vulnerable to health impacts and wildfires.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/spain-portugal-greece-wildfires-european-union-fdbff8dfd6570d58ad69cef1c299ffd1