Wildfires have swept through a staggering 17,000 hectares of land in France, Spain, and Portugal, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. The devastation is not just a loss of landscape, but a stark reminder of the urgent challenges posed by climate change.
Photo European Commission
On Sunday, numerous firefighters worked to combat wildfires in France, Spain, and Portugal as temperatures in heatwave-affected Europe rose once more. The recent wildfires have already ravaged over 17,000 hectares of land—an area twice the size of Manhattan—across the three nations, where temperatures in certain regions were predicted to reach 40°C.
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That’s a remarkable amount of work hours for a single machine, the Norcar 600 owned by Erkki Rinne is taken well care of, it even has the original Diesel engine.
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Kieran Anders is a forestry contractor working in the lake district. His work involves hand cutting and extracting timber using a skidder and tractor-trailer forwarder.
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It is not possible to eliminate chain shot, but there are simple steps that can be taken to reduce the risk.
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Arwel takes great pride in the fact that the mill has no waste whatsoever, “the peelings are used for children’s playgrounds, gardens and for farm animals in barns in the winter and the sawdust has multiple uses in gardens and farms as well.
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Timber hauliers need to encourage young blood in, and also look after the hauliers we have, we need make the sector a safe and positive place to work.
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Heatwave
In June, Europe experienced one of its most severe heatwaves on record, leading authorities to register thousands of excess deaths across the region. As the summer progresses, there is significant concern regarding the increased likelihood of extreme weather events. France’s interior minister, Laurent Nunez, has already voiced alarm over the early onset of the annual wildfire season, which has traditionally begun later in the summer. Meanwhile, a significant wildfire is raging near Spain’s picturesque northeastern Costa Brava coast, where it has consumed over 2,200 hectares in just two days. Firefighters battling the blaze have indicated that their efforts on Sunday will be made more challenging by soaring temperatures, which have created conditions ripe for further spread. Additionally, there are numerous “smoking hotspots” still smouldering in the area, complicating containment efforts. The Catalunya fire service provided an update, stating that firefighters have been working tirelessly throughout the night to secure the perimeter of the La Bisbal d’Empordà forest fire. Their hard work has led to a stabilisation of the fire, although the situation remains critical and the threat of further flare-ups persists. The ongoing efforts highlight the relentless dedication of emergency services in the face of increasingly severe environmental conditions.
Catalunya regional government president Salvador Illa said that a man had been detained in connection with the fire, which has badly hit the Gavarres protected natural area between Barcelona and the French border.
Nearly 600 French firefighters have been mobilised to contain a wildfire that has burned more than 1,000 hectares on a mountainside at Trevillach, about 36km east of Perpignan.
More trouble ahead
Roads in the region have been closed, and the authorities have ordered mayors to open emergency shelters for people who could be forced to flee their homes.
Another 300 French firefighters battled another forest fire in a mountainous district of the southeastern Drome department.
In Portugal, emergency services said they had controlled “80%” of a wildfire that has devastated some 13,000 hectares of forest and scrub land in the north of the country.
A senior civil protection officer, Jose Costa, told AFP that the fire had spread 35km since it started on Thursday and that 1,200 firefighters had been involved in the battle.
Spain and Italy sent reinforcements and water-carrying planes after Portugal appealed for help to fight the inferno that has left nine people injured by burns.
Several regions across Portugal, Spain and southern France stepped up heat alerts on Sunday as temperatures rose again.
On Monday, the latest heatwave was expected to move north. Forecasters say it could last until next weekend.
Western Europe has already seen heatwaves this year in May and June that would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change, the World Weather Attribution group of scientists said.
Following a two-week surge in temperatures in June, France said there had been more than 2,000 extra deaths than usual in just one week, while Spain and Belgium each reported more than 1,000.
Authorities in several countries fear more summer trouble ahead.
“Climate change is here, we are living the consequences and it is only the start of July,” said French fire service Colonel Eric Belgioino as he made an appeal for people near the Pyrenees inferno to take precautions to avoid starting fires.
“The season is going to be long for the soldiers fighting fires. You have to help us,” he said.
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