The northern hemisphere has seen a summer of severe weather conditions, with large forest fires devastating Europe and an intense heat wave punishing the United States. The phenomena occur simultaneously, generating evacuation orders and alerts for millions of people.
On July 25, around 300,000 residents in France and Spain were instructed to leave their homes or stay at home due to the risks. The alarming situation led governments and authorities to mobilize large-scale efforts to contain the crises.
Devastating fires cause evacuations in Europe
In Spain, a large forest fire that started in the province of Ávila, west of Madrid, caused significant damage and rapid spread. It is estimated that approximately 45 thousand hectares have already been consumed by the flames. The power of the fire has been described as extreme, exceeding conventional firefighting capacity, at more than 10,000 kilowatts per square meter.
Large fires persist in several regions of the country, including Castellón, Granada and Teruel. One resident died as a result of these events, and around 90,000 people were forced to evacuate or take shelter. A resident of Robledo de Chavera, about 50 kilometers from Madrid, described the scene to the British newspaper The Guardian: “When the sky turned orange and black smoke enveloped the entire village, I felt as if the world was ending.” The Spanish government extended the national state of emergency to the city of Toledo.
France is also facing a critical situation, with fires in the Landes department and the Gironde department. A fire that started around noon on the 22nd in Sómos, Gironde, burned at least 32,700 hectares in just three days, until noon on the 25th, before expanding to the outskirts of Bordeaux. In the early hours of the 26th, more than 220,000 people had already been evacuated in the Gironde region, with an additional evacuation order for 55,000 residents near Bordeaux.
French authorities mobilized a robust contingent of 1,400 firefighters, 1,500 soldiers and 1,700 security agents. For the first time, A400M military transport aircraft were used to help fight fires. The final stage of the Tour de France, a traditional cycling race, had its route shortened by around 40 kilometers as a preventive measure.
The causes of the intensity and the record heat record
The extent of fires this year already exceeds the annual average for the last decade. In Spain, approximately 130,000 hectares were burned, and in France, around 98,000 hectares, marking the largest area ever devastated. The origin of these large events is attributed to a combination of a prolonged heat wave and severe drought that affects the region.
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service analyzed in its “June Climate Report” that Western Europe had the hottest June on record. Soil moisture levels showed a significant reduction in much of the region. In June, temperatures reached 42.9 degrees Celsius in northeast Spain and 42.7 degrees Celsius in Bilbao. In France, the thermometer briefly exceeded 40 degrees Celsius in more than 40% of the territory, with the southwest reaching 43.8 degrees and Bordeaux at 42.5 degrees.
United States under deadly heatwave warning
The fight against extreme heat continues in the United States. The country is experiencing its third heat wave this month, with around 80 million people, from Texas to North Dakota, under high temperature warnings or alerts. The National Weather Service (NWS) predicts highs could reach 42 degrees Celsius in parts of Nebraska and 48 degrees Celsius in stretches of the desert Southwest.
The high pressure is expected to maintain the heat for a long period, without relief even during the night. This can worsen the damage caused by the heatwave. Wildfires are also spreading rapidly in Canada and the western United States, where four firefighters fighting a fire near the border between Colorado and Utah lost their lives, according to reports from local agencies.
