France has evacuated more than 14,000 people threatened by wildfires in the south-west, as fires also spread in Spain, Croatia and Greece.
Authorities in France’s Gironde, a popular tourist region, have evacuated guards from campsites – the tourists left earlier. Fires have spread in the Teste-de-Buch and Landiras areas.
In southern Spain, more than 3,200 people fled fires in the Mijas hills; though later some were able to return.
Portugal’s fires are contained for now. However, the Portuguese government says 659 people have died – mostly elderly – from the heat over the past week.
The Mijas fires in Spain are not far from Malaga, a popular tourist area. Elsewhere in Spain, wildfires have broken out in the provinces of Castilla y León, Galicia and Extremadura.
Across the Mediterranean – from Morocco in the west to Crete in the east – thousands of firefighters and many water bombing aircraft have been deployed. Since Tuesday, the whole region has been sweltering in severe heat, leaving vegetation bone dry.
Credit: BBC.com
