Summer in Southern and Western Europe: Fire in London – Major damage declared

Hundreds of firefighters are stationed in and around London. Many fires have to be dealt with due to the heat of more than 40 degree Celsius. The situation is also dramatic in other countries of Southern and Western Europe.

The fire department in the British capital has declared major damage in the event of multiple fires in London. Dozens of vehicles were dispatched for various fires as a fire broke out in a meadow in the east of the city. The first pictures show that the fire has spread to several residential buildings there. According to the BBC, about 175 firefighters are on duty. The other 85 are fighting two grass fires south of town.

The fire department said firefighters can cover all work at present. However, declaring a major disaster helps to focus the forces better. London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted that the fire service is under tremendous pressure.

Great Britain The first is suffering from a major heat wave with the local level exceeding 40 degrees. The temperature at London Heathrow was measured at 40.2 degrees around noon. The British Weather Service announced that it had already reached 39.1 degrees in the morning at Charleswood, near London. The record so far was 38.7 degrees, which was reached in 2019.

Rail traffic has come to a standstill in some parts of the country due to extreme temperatures. As announced by route network operator Network Rail, operations on the main railway lines in the English East Coast and Midlands have ceased altogether. People have been urged to change their travel plans.

Even at the airport

The sweltering heat has already caused considerable disruption at London’s Luton Airport. The airport said the runway surface was damaged by high temperatures. According to reports, many flights had to be canceled or diverted.

air pollution in france

In France Sun and heat cause air pollution, so officials ordered traffic restrictions. In the Grand Est region in the east of the country, drivers have to reduce their speed by 20 km/h on motorways and dual carriageways.

Earlier, the highest temperatures since the start of the measurements were recorded in several places in France. In Brest, off the Atlantic coast of Brittany, the temperature rose to 39.3 degrees Celsius, more than four degrees above the previous summer’s record. Nantes measured 40.3 degrees, where the previous record of 40.3 degrees came from 1949.

arrested for arson

Meanwhile, a suspect has been arrested in an investigation into a wildfire in the southwestern French department of Gironde, which has already destroyed nearly 20,000 hectares of forest. The Bordeaux Public Prosecutor said that the investigation into the fire in the Municipality of Landiras had confirmed the suspicion of arson. The investigation will continue with further forensic investigation and interrogation of witnesses.

According to the prosecutor, eyewitnesses saw how a car quickly moved away from the scene of the fire. According to investigators, there were more fires in that area on the same day, with three more outbreaks in the following days. More than 34,000 people have left their homes in the region since the fire broke out nearly a week ago.

heat wave shifts east

In the second wildfire at La Teste-de-Buch, near Arcachon, officials believe the fire was caused by a delivery van that caught fire. Had to evacuate a nursing home.

The heat wave in France is now expected to subside somewhat in the west of the country. The weather service Meteo-France raised the highest heat warning level for 15 departments on the Atlantic coast. However, the second highest alert level still applies to 73 of France’s 101 departments. In the east of the country it should warm up to 40 degrees.

Netherlands: road salt to cool the roads

me too Belgium And this Netherlands The weather services expected maximum temperatures. Code Orange applies in both countries. People should avoid physical exertion, drink a lot of alcohol and if possible do not go out in the sun.

In the Netherlands road salt is now used to cool bridges and roads. According to the municipality of Hardenberg, the salt removes moisture from the air, which cools the roads – thus preventing damage. In Amsterdam, movable bridges over canals were water-cooled to prevent the steel from expanding too much. Then the bridges could not be opened to let the boats through.

In Belgium, the capacity of the Doel 1 and Doel 2 nuclear reactors near Antwerp has been reduced by half because of the heat. There is a risk that the cooling water will become too hot, operator Angie said, as reported by Belga news agency. With 36.4 °C at the weather station of the Royal Meteorological Institute (KMI) in the Brussels Municipality of Uccle – the reference point for the measurement – July 19 was the warmest ever recorded since the recording of the weather began in 1892. It was the fourth highest temperature ever recorded in Belgium.

high ozone alert

Due to heat, the amount of ozone in the air also increases. More recently, values ​​of over 200 micrograms per cubic meter have been measured in southern Europe, such as Portugal, Spain and Italy, according to Copernicus, the European Union’s climate change service. It is considered very much for both the people and the environment. Copernicus warned that the level could rise to dangerous levels in northwestern Europe.

Too much ozone in the air we breathe can cause headaches, coughs or tears. During physical exertion, ozone can also penetrate deep into lung tissue, where it can damage tissue and cause inflammation.

Houses evacuated in Tuscany due to forest fires

In Italy Fire brigades are on alert and fighting against forest and bush fires across the country. Civil Defense in Sicily declared the highest risk level for wildfire in some areas. Due to a massive forest fire on the Italy-Slovenian border, Italian authorities have closed a section of motorway and disrupted a train connection. The fire broke out near Monfalcone, an Adriatic city north of Trieste, on Tuesday, according to civil defense in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Firefighters extinguished the flames in the air and on the ground.

In South Tyrol, emergency services near Bozen fought with firefighting helicopters, among other things, against wildfires in the hiking area on the Guntschna Promenade. In the afternoon, the fire department said that the fire has been brought under control. Ansa said that some residents had left their homes cautiously.

In Tuscany, the Italian fire brigade evacuated several residents from a major forest fire. According to the fire department, the fire broke out in Massarossa Municipality, north of Pisa. According to the Tuscan Civil Defense, winds from the northeast fueled the flames, putting homes at risk. Of these, about 30 people were evacuated. Meanwhile, authorities have repeatedly blocked a traffic bridge connecting Lucca and Viareggio.

Fire in Spain and Portugal

even in parts from Spain And Portugal is still burning. In Spain alone, at least 60,000 hectares of forest have been devastated by fire since last week – which corresponds to about 80 percent of Hamburg’s area. “In case of fire, it is the worst emergency on record,” Civil Defense Director Leonardo Marcos told radio station Cadena Ser.

There are a total of six major fire complexes in the country. The situation was particularly bad in Zamora, near the border with Portugal, and in एvila, northwest of Madrid. In these two provinces, which are both in Castile and León, since Sunday some 10,000 people from about 50 cities have had to be rescued from the flames. In Zamora alone, two fires have already razed 30,000 hectares of forest. Two people have already died in this and at least 15 have been injured.

Regional officials said hundreds of millions of homes were destroyed in Zamora, एvila and across Spain, and thousands of animals died in Zamora alone. “Zamora is going to hell,” headlined the digital newspaper Zamora News.

Three major wildfires are still active in Portugal, which are being fought by some 800 emergency services. Many people died due to fire or heatstroke.

Crete: Thousands of olive trees destroyed

On the Greek island of Crete, massive fires destroyed large areas of agricultural land south of the port city of Rethymno. This was told by the region’s mayor Giannis Tatarakis to the Greek news channel “Real FM”. So far more than 1850 hectares have been done. “It’s mainly olive trees. Many people have no income,” Meyer said.

The fire brigade brought the fire under control with firefighting helicopters, fire-fighting aircraft and hundreds of firefighters and volunteers. It broke last weekend, State Radio reported. Drought and strong winds continue to threaten fire across the South Greece Too much, warned the Civil Defense.

Overall, however, Greece currently has relatively pleasant temperatures of around 30 degrees Celsius. It shouldn’t be hot by the end of the week, but only for a short time. A meteorologist on state radio said the heat in western Europe may not enter the east in full force.