Spate of wildfires scorches parts of Europe amid heat wave
By HELENA ALVES and JOSEPH WILSON
Associated Press
LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Firefighters from Portugal and Spain to southern France are battling a spate of wildfires scorching Europe amid an unusual heat wave that authorities link to climate change. Portuguese authorities say more than 600 people have been evacuated and about 120 have needed medical attention. Water-dumping planes helped 1,300 firefighters combat the worst of the blazes in the nation’s central area. More than 800 firefighters battled two wildfires in the region outside Bordeaux in southwest France. Spain’s weather service warn that unusually high temperatures combined with a lack of rainfall have created ideal conditions for destructive fires.
