Europe’s Hot, Dry Summer Takes Its Toll with Fires in France and Greece, and Drought in the UK
Fire crews battled blazes across the continent as a record hot, dry summer left parts of the United Kingdom in drought and raised wildfire risk through Aug. 5.
- On Monday, Greek authorities deployed 12 water-dropping planes and 11 helicopters to battle wildfires near Porto Germeno, where more than 1,000 people were evacuated, including more than 250 rescued by boats from beaches.
- Europe is Earth's fastest-warming continent, heating at more than twice the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union's Copernicus climate service. Rising temperatures and prolonged drought leave vegetation drier and more combustible.
- In France, thousands of evacuees returned home Monday after a massive wildfire in the Bordeaux region remained contained. England and Wales recorded their driest July in nearly 200 years, while authorities battled a forest blaze in the Netherlands' Limburg province.
- Firefighting efforts in Greece faced complications after a midair collision between two helicopters killed two crew members on Sunday. All four were private operators chartered by the Greek Fire Service.
- The European Forest Fire Information System warns the risk of wildfire remains high across parts of the continent through August 5, as authorities cautioned that areas surrounding Athens remain at high risk with temperatures set to rise further.
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Europe is burning. In a summer of scarce rain and persistently high temperatures, more European territory than ever before has been consumed by fire. And the end is not yet in sight. These are the graphs of the devastation.
At temperatures above 35 degrees it becomes too hot for many insects. For this the heat attracts particularly annoying species.
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