UK, France brace for record-high temperatures
Britain and France went on high alert on Monday, bracing for record temperatures from a punishing heatwave as deadly wildfires raging in parts of southwest Europe showed no sign of abating. Forecasters have put 15 French departments on the highest state of alert for extreme temperatures while in Britain, the government was accused of failing to take seriously the impending heat emergency as forecasters warned that lives were at risk. The heatwave, spreading north, began as the second to engulf parts of southwest Europe in weeks, and blazes burning in France, Greece, Portugal and Spain have destroyed thousands of hectares of land and forced thousands of residents and holidaymakers to flee. In France's Landes forest, in the southwest Aquitaine region, temperatures "will be above 42 degrees Celsius" on Monday, forecaster Olivier Proust said. In the southwestern Gironde region, firefighters over the weekend continued to battle to control forest blazes that have devoured nearly 11,000 hectares since Tuesday. In Spain, authorities announced that a member of the fire service died on Sunday while working to extinguish forest fires at Losacio in the northwestern Zamora region. The fires have already killed several civilians and emergency personnel since last week. Spanish authorities have reported around 20 wildfires still raging out of control in different parts of the country from the south to Galicia in the far northwest, where blazes have destroyed around 4,500 hectares of land. The wildfires in France forced more than 16,000 people – residents and tourists combined – to decamp. Seven emergency shelters have been set up for evacuees. In Britain, the weather office issued a first-ever "red" warning for extreme heat, cautioning there was a "risk to life". The Met Office said temperatures in southern England could exceed 40C on Monday or Tuesday for the first time, leading some schools to say they would stay closed this week. Eyebrows were raised, however, by comments from Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab appearing to welcome the likelihood of temperatures topping 40C and Prime Minister Boris Johnson missing a meeting about the government's response to the heatwave. "This isn't like a lovely hot day where we can put a bit of sunscreen on, go out and enjoy a swim and a meal outside," College of Paramedics chief executive Tracy Nicholls told Sky News. "This is serious heat that could actually, ultimately, end in people's deaths because it is so ferocious," she said. (AFP)