Thousands of people in Portugal, Spain, France and Morocco have been evacuated from their homes as firefighters tackle wildfires caused by this week’s heatwave, which has brought extreme temperatures of more than 45C (113F) to parts of Europe and north Africa. One person has died and at least 135 people have suffered mainly minor injuries since wildfires began in Portugal last week. A “state of contingency” has been in effect since Sunday, and about 800 people have been evacuated from their homes, according to the country’s Civil Protection Authority. By Thursday, Portugal had registered 28 active fires, with more than 2,000 firefighters on the ground. Photograph: APHundreds more people were evacuated from their homes in south-west France as wildfires raged out of control on Friday.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 16, 2022 01:27 UTC