France, Spain make headway against huge blazes as new heatwave looms

France, Spain make headway against huge blazes as new heatwave looms  Reuters

Firefighters raced on Tuesday to subdue huge wildfires that have forced unprecedented evacuations of tens of thousands of people across France and Spain, as western Europe braced for another heatwave. The fires have torn through a region already battered by a blisteringly hot and dry summer. Crews were seeking to capit

BORDEAUX, France/ONDA, Spain, July 28 - Firefighters raced on Tuesday to subdue huge wildfires that have forced unprecedented evacuations of tens of thousands of people across France and Spain, as Western Europe braced for another heatwave.

Coming days are ‘absolutely critical’ for firefighters before temperatures rise again this week, officials say Firefighters in France and Spain are racing to bring huge wildfires under control before another heatwave this week that will complicate efforts to tame the flames. Spain’s interior minister, Fernando Grande-

More than 360,000 people have been evacuated in France and Spain, with major fires burning near Bordeaux and Madrid torching tens of thousands of hectares

The blazes, fuelled by extreme heat and drought, have forced 60,000 people to evacuate, as firefighters race to contain them before temperatures climb as high as 42°C.

Spain has two crucial days in front of it to bring wildfires under control before weather conditions worsen, authorities said Monday, as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called on citizens to "exercise extreme caution" ahead of a new heatwave. FRANCE 24's Sarah Morris reports.

Massive firefighting efforts in France and Spain are in a race against time, battling to make progress before a forecast surge in temperatures that could make fighting flames more difficult.