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Europe is battling the effects of scorching temperatures which have reached worrying levels globally, with July being the hottest month recorded on both land and sea.
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Last year, heatwaves resulted in over 61,600 heat-related fatalities across 35 European countries and triggered devastating wildfires. This year, temperatures could exceed Europe’s current record of 48.8 degrees Celsius, recorded in Sicily in August 2021.
Below is a list of the most recent blazes and heat-related warnings issued in Europe.
France
Two thousand people were evacuated on Aug. 15 as a fire burned through 500 hectares of land and destroyed a campsite in the south of France, near Perpignan, fuelled by intense heat, dryness and very high winds. The blaze was quickly brought under control.
Another broke out on Aug. 20 in the southern Hautes-Alpes region of France, burning at least 140 hectares. It was the biggest blaze the region has faced in the last 20 years, media reported.
Small-scale blazes have been recorded across the country throughout the summer. Mid-April the French geological service BRGM said that very low groundwater levels had put France on course for a worse summer drought than last year.
Greece
Wildfires have been raging uncontrollably near Alexandroupolis since Aug. 19, forcing the evacuation of dozens of hospital patients. One person has died.
Fires have been scorching Greece since the beginning of summer.
Mid-July, 20,000 people were evacuated on the island of Rhodes as an inferno reached coastal resorts on the island’s southeast. A wildfire also forced evacuations from the island of Corfu during the night of July 25-26.
Read moreIn pictures: Greece faces longest heatwave on record as wildfires force evacuations
Italy
Central and southern regions of Italy recorded 7% more deaths than normal in July after a baking heatwave, health ministry data…
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