Many fires have broken out in different parts of southern Europe, especially in the vicinity of the Spanish capital Madrid, in the regions of Calabria and Sicily in southern Italy, as well as in the provinces of Provence and Gironde in France. Local authorities and official data confirmed that climate change and suffocating heat waves played a direct role in the expansion of the fire area and the expansion of the burned areas.
13 killed in Spain as result of arson
Spanish authorities have ordered evacuations of several areas near the city of Toledo, 75 km (75 miles) from the capital, after a massive fire threat to homes and emergency alerts were sent via mobile phones to residents.
Field reports revealed that the largest fire broke out in the province of Guadalajara, about 100 kilometers north of the capital, Madrid, where more than 32,000 hectares of fire have been burned since it broke out last Thursday, recording one of the largest fires in the country's history, causing the evacuation of about 34 villages without recording serious injuries.
Official sources confirmed the participation of the largest mobilization of fire brigades in the history of the Castile-La Mancha region, amounting to about 600 firefighters and military personnel supported by 29 planes and helicopters, while a small, very fierce fire in the province of Almeria and southern regions killed 13 people earlier.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, during a visit to the village of Tamajón, stressed that climate change is destroying wealth and killing the population, stressing the need to conclude a political pact to confront the effects of warming, while fires in the province of Zaragoza last week destroyed about 15,000 hectares, with Spain recording 22 major fires since the beginning of the year.
Dead in Italy and fires continue on the islands of Sicily and Calabria
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi announced that an Italian firefighter was killed while fighting fires in southern Italy.
Italian sources revealed that dozens of fires have broken out in forests and forested areas on the island of Sicily, fueled by strong hot winds, in addition to more than 160 fires recorded during the past 24 hours in the immediate province of Calabria.
Civil defence teams agreed to continue combing and fighting operations to encircle the burning hotspots, while contingency plans were deployed to avoid the fire reaching fully populated residential areas in the islands and southern provinces.
Hundreds of homes evacuated in France
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez confirmed that more than 12,500 fires have broken out since the beginning of this year, covering an area that exceeded 44,000 hectares, exceeding the areas recorded in 2022.
The reports showed that firefighters fought two large fires, one in the southwestern province of Girond, where the fire swept more than 1,000 hectares north of the Arcachon basin, while the second fire in the southeastern province of Var stopped after consuming 2,500 hectares.
The rising flames forced hundreds of citizens to evacuate their homes as a precautionary measure, as air and ground operations continued to control the spread of the blaze amid difficult weather conditions and an ongoing heatwave sweeping through southern Europe.