As severe temperatures continue to plague most of Europe, scientists have warned that Western France is facing a “hot apocalypse.”
In 15 areas of the southwest, temperatures might hit record highs, forcing thousands of people to evacuate while firefighters battle wildfires.
Thousands more people have had to leave because of fires in Spain, Portugal, and Greece.
In some areas of the UK, which has issued its first-ever red extreme heat alert, unprecedented temperatures are also predicted.
Over 24,000 people have had to escape France recently due to wildfires, and temporary housing has been put up for them.
Firefighters are fighting to contain flames that have burnt more than 14,000 hectares (34,000 acres) of land since last Tuesday in Gironde, a well-known tourist area in the southwest.
It was informed by Jean-Luc Gleyze, the president of the Gironde region, that the hot and windy weather had caused the fires in La-Teste-de-Buch and Landiras to continue spreading, making it challenging for firefighters to put them out.
He declared, “They have to fight this fire that is expanding and growing, and at times getting very high.
In certain parts of the southwest, the heatwave has sparked fears of “an apocalypse of heat,” according to one meteorologist who spoke to the AFP news agency.
Other parts of France have also been affected by the heatwave. In July, the northwestern Brittany city of Brest had temperatures that were nearly twice as high as normal at 40C (104F).
Over a thousand deaths in Spain and Portugal have recently been related to heat.
The body of a shepherd was discovered in the Sierra de la Culebra mountain range, located in the central province of Zamora in Spain, where a fire has been burning since the weekend. He follows the death of a 62-year-old fireman on Sunday as the second casualty associated with the Zamora fire.
Fire engulfed Mercedes Pino’s home in the northeastern region of Catalonia, close to Pont de Vilamoura.
She told Spanish media, “I was in bed and I noticed a really red light through the glass. “I dashed to the door as quickly as possible and saw a flame engulfing the caravan in front of us.
