In addition to spreading to Spain, Croatia, and Greece, flames in southwest France have forced the evacuation of more than 14,000 people.
Authorities have removed guards from campsites in France’s Gironde, a well-known tourist destination, as the tourists have already left. In the regions of Teste-de-Buch and Landiras, fires have spread.
More than 3,200 people left flames in the Mijas hills in southern Spain, however, some were eventually able to return.
Fires in Portugal have currently been put out.
However, according to the Portuguese government, at least 238 individuals have passed away from heat-related causes in the last week.
The major tourist destination of Málaga is not far from the Mijas fires in Spain. Wildfires have started in the provinces of Castilla y León and Galicia in other parts of Spain.
“We just grabbed a few basics and just bolted really,” a local of Málaga told Reuters. “By that moment, everyone along the street was on the move, and there were a lot ambulances and fire engines.”
“Thousands of firefighters and numerous waterbombing aircraft have been deployed throughout the Mediterranean, from Morocco in the west to Crete in the east. The area has been experiencing extreme heat since Tuesday, which has dried out the plants to the bone.
Due to human-induced climate change, heat waves are now more common, more powerful, and stay longer. Since the start of the industrial period, the world has already warmed by around 1.1C, and temperatures will continue to rise unless governments drastically reduce carbon emissions.
On Sunday, the south of France is expected to reach temperatures as high as 41 degrees Celsius, and Monday is expected to break previous heat records. Recently, the temperature in Portugal rose to 47C.
In order to combat forest fires in the north, Morocco has ordered more than 1,300 residents to leave their houses and sent out extra firefighters. Larache province is the worst-affected region.
