Wildfires are raging across huge swathes of Southern Europe as warnings have sounded in London after the United Kingdom recorded its hottest day ever.
The massive record-shattering heatwave and devastating wildfires have created renewed warnings that the fight against climate change needs to be stepped up.
Fires across France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece have been blazing all week.
The unprecedented heat wave has widely been blamed on global warming by scientists and climate experts.
Climate experts warned that global warming has increased the frequency of extreme weather events. Studies show that drought and heat waves tied to climate change have also made wildfires harder to fight.
In Greece, a wildfire fueled by winds raged in the mountains north of Athens. Hundreds have been forced to flee, including the evacuation of hospital patients.
In Italy, gas tanks caught in a forest fire in Tuscany exploded, sending hundreds fleeing. Wildfires burned in several areas of the country and in 14 cities, including Rome, Milan, and Florence.
The brutal temperatures have eased in some places, but in others, they carry on. Mercury readings have begun heading higher once again in Portugal and Spain.
Portugal officials said that rising temperatures and strong winds would make it harder to fight the largest wildfire ever seen in Portugal.
In Spain, emergency crews have been fighting fires in five regions. National weather services also forecast even higher temperatures.
In France, firefighters have been battling since July 12 to contain massive forest fires in the southwestern Gironde region.
Britain shattered its previous temperature record by 1.6 degrees Celsius. The Chief of Science and Technology of Britain’s Met Office, Stephen Belcher, said that unless greenhouse gas emissions are reduced, the UK could see similar heatwaves every three years.
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