Intense heatwaves and deadly fires sweep across Europe
Europe is enduring an intense heatwave with forest fires, drought, record temperatures and disrupted services. A state of emergency has been declared in Greece after 74 people were killed by wildfires. Fires have also hit Sweden, Finland, Norway, Latvia and the Spanish island of Mallorca. The UK is experiencing its longest heatwave since 1976 and has also seen grass fires. Hannover airport in Germany was closed after a runway was damaged by extreme heat, France has put the Paris and north region on an orange alert for heatwaves and 12 bridges in Amsterdam are closed because of expanding metal.
An intense heat wave is sweeping over Europe, triggering deadly fires across the region.

In Greece, a state of emergency was declared on Monday as huge forest fires killed 74 people across several towns and sent thousands running to escape flames devastating entire villages.

But Greece isn’t the only European country sweltering.

Roaring temperatures and weeks of drought contributed to several major wildfires across Sweden over the last week and, according to AccuWeather, Madrid, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, and Stockholm are expected to have their highest temperatures of the year this week.

Map showing fires and at-risk areas in northern Europe: pic.twitter.com/RdbXTWQvVy — AFP news agency (@AFP) July 23, 2018

This is every country in Europe battling fires right now:

Greece is experiencing its worst fire crisis in more than a decade.

Foto: Fire fighters are seen amid smoke as a wildfire burns in Kineta, near Athens, Greece, July 23, 2018.sourceREUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

Wildfires are raging in regions around Athens and have affected numerous towns including Mati, Kineta, Rafina, and Melissi.

Hot, dry temperatures exacerbated by high winds caused flames to spread throughout the region on Monday.

"It's like we're at war," a Greek firefighter told local media.

On Tuesday, the bodies of 26 adults and children were found close to the sea in Mati, and appear to have died sheltering each other from the fire.

Source: The BBC

Sweden's unusually high temperatures have caused several fires to break out.

Foto: In this photo taken on Wednesday, July 18, 2018, smoke billows from a fire outside Ljusdal, Sweden.sourceMaja Suslin/TT via AP

Almost 100 people were forced to leave their homes as more than 80 wildfires ripped through the country over the last week.

The number of fires in the region were reduced to around 20 by Tuesday, but in that time Sweden lost an estimated 25,000 hectares of forest.

The country usually experiences mild weather, and generally lacks the resources required to deal with large fires. The government has reached out for help from the military and other nations as fires spread above the Arctic Circle.

On Monday, European nations sent hundreds of firefighters to tackle the worst blazes that Sweden has ever seen.

Source: The Local

While England's record heat wave has turned the country from green to brown in satellite photos.

Foto: A firefighter carries a water hose past sheep close to scorched moorland as it burns during a moorland fire at Winter Hill, near Rivington, Britain July 1, 2018.sourceREUTERS/Phil Noble

You can't help but have noticed the lack of rain in many areas over the last 10-12 weeks. It's even changed the way the UK looks from space! pic.twitter.com/T4Cjm8GMH3 — Met Office (@metoffice) July 18, 2018

Britain is continuing to experience its longest heat wave since 1976.

Weather has also been unseasonably dry, with just two inches of rain falling between June 1 and July 16, making it the direst summer ever.

Satellite photos released by the country's national weather service shows the country has been so hot and dry that it has turned from green to brown.

The conditions have been blamed for several wildfires which have spread across northwestern England over the last month.

Source: The Washington Post

In Norway, a firefighter was killed trying to contain one blaze.

Foto: Children watch a bonfire at the sailing club at a party to celebrate Midsummer on June 21, 2008 in Longyearbyen, Norway.sourceChris Jackson/Getty Images

Norway experienced its hottest temperatures on record in May, and at least 40 separate forest fires raged across the country earlier this month.

On July 15, a firefighter was killed trying to containa a blaze in Nes, a municipality outside of Oslo.

Source: The Local

In Finland's northern region, fires have destroyed woodlands close to the Russian border.

Foto: Fire departments and volunteers work to control a forest fire in Pyharanta, Western Finland July 19, 2018.sourceRoni Lehti/Lehtikuva via Reuters

A wildfire that crossed the border in Inari, one of Finland's largest municipalities, caused the border crossing between Finland and Russia to be shutdown on Friday.

Several fires threatened Finland's northernmost Lapland region, and one fire burned 6 hectares of forest near the region's capital of Rovaniemi. Rovaniemi is a popular tourist destination and is best known for its Santa Claus village.

A popular tourist island in Spain experienced forest fires.

Foto: A man jumps into the Arga River while cooling off during a hot summer day, in Pamplona, northern Spain, Monday, July 23, 2018.sourceAP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos

Mallorca, one of Spain's islands in the Mediterranean, experienced a blaze over the weekend.

The fire burned through over 5 hectares of land, and over 100 people were evacuated as a precaution, local media reported.

Latvian officials met on Monday to discuss tackling fires that had been burning for several days.

Foto: Firefighters extinguish fire at a home for the elderly and disabled in the town of Alsunga, about 180 km (110 miles) west of Riga, Latvia, Friday, Feb. 23 2007.sourceAP Photo

Fires have raged in Latvia for nearly a week, and destroyed over 1,o00 hectares of forest.

Officials on Monday confirmed that EU members stated would be called on for international assistance to extinguish a fire in the western Talsi district.

Dry weather and strong winds made it difficult for firefighters to extinguish the blaze, which was first reported on July 17.

In Germany, extreme heat has caused airport closures.

Foto: A visitor takes a drink from a bottle of water on July 18, 2018 in Berlin, Germany.sourceAdam Berry/Getty Images

A runway at Germany's Hannover airport was damaged by extreme heat, forcing the airport to close. The closure was expected to last until Wednesday, pending repairs.

The temperature is predicted to continue to continue to climb this week, with a top of 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday.

Source: Associated Press

And France has been put on a heatwave alert.

Foto: Arnaud Caron, a French farmer drives an old Mc Cormick F8-413 combine as he harvests his last field of wheat, in Vauvillers, northern France, July 23, 2018.sourceREUTERS/Pascal Rossignol

France's national weather agency placed areas in the Paris region and country's north on an orange alert for heatwaves until Wednesday.

Northern France is in the core of the heat wave, according to AccuWeather, and those in the region will be continue to be athigh risk for heat-related illnesses.

And in the Netherlands,12 bridges have been closed due to heat.

Foto: A boat cruises past a bridge on a canal in Amsterdam, Netherlands, July 24, 2018.sourceREUTERS/Yves Herman

High temperatures have caused metal to expand, which have affected the functioning of bridges across Amsterdam. 12 bridges will remain closed for the duration of the heatwave, local media reported Tuesday.

The Netherlands institute for public health also issued a warning that the country's air quality will be worsened by the heat.

Source: The Times