Firefighters try to control a forest fire in Louchats, southwest France, on July 17.
Thibaud Moritz/AFP/Getty Images
Updated 7:48 AM ET, Tue July 19, 2022
Firefighters try to control a forest fire in Louchats, southwest France, on July 17.
Thibaud Moritz/AFP/Getty Images
As Europe reaches record temperatures, fire services across the continent are fighting to control huge wildfires in countries including Spain, Portugal and France, with hundreds of deaths blamed on soaring heat that scientists say is consistent with climate change.
In Spain, helicopters dropped water on the flames as temperatures rose above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) while in France, wildfires have now spread over 11,000 hectares (27,000 acres) in the southwestern region of Gironde, and more than 14,000 people have been evacuated, regional authorities said on Sunday afternoon.
With the heat wave set to continue into the coming week fire services remain on red alert.
A wildfire burns forest in the surroundings of the village of Memoria, in the municipality of Leiria, Portugal, on July 12.
Paulo Cunha/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Helicopters drop water above a forest fire on July 18, in Avila, Spain.
Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images
Firefighters take a break in Catalonia, Spain, on July 17.
Eric Renom/NurPhoto/Getty Images
A fire engine drives through El Pont de Vilomara, north of Barcelona, Spain, on July 18.
Albert Gea/Reuters
A firefighter from the Brigadas de Refuerzo en Incendios Forestales (BRIF) and a voluntary firefighter tackle a forest fire approaching El Hoyo de Pinares on July 18, in Avila, Spain.
Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images
A guardia civil and a firefighter from the Brigadas de Refuerzo en Incendios Forestales (BRIF) watch the fire in Zamora, Spain, on July 18.
Isabel Infantes/Reuters
An Air Tractor AT-802F “Fire Boss” airplane takes part in firefighting operations at Gesteira de Baixo on July 14, in Pombal, Portugal.
Octavio Passos/Getty Images
People look at plumes of smoke caused by a wildfire in Malaga, seen from Playa del Bajondillo beach in Torremolinos, Spain, on July 15.
Hannah McKay/Reuters
Firefighters attempt to control a forest fire spread in the communes of Landiras and Guillos, southwest France, on July 13.
Thibaud Moritz/AFP/Getty Images
Burnt-out cars at Ansiao on July 14, in Pombal, Portugal, as wildfires have swept across the central part of the country.
Octavio Passos/Getty Images
National Republican Guard firefighters put out a forest fire in the village of Rebolo, Portugal, on July 14.
Armando Franca/AP
A local resident tries to stop flames from reaching houses in the village of Figueiras, Portugal, on July 12.
Joao Henriques/AP
A black cloud of smoke from a fire in La Teste-de-Buch forest rises from the Dune of Pilat, in the Arcachon basin, southwest France, on July 13.
Thibaud Moritz/AFP/Getty Images
A firefighter looks on during firefighting operations at Espite, Portugal, on July 13.
Pedro Rocha/AFP/Getty Images
A wildfire burns through vegetation in Landiras, southwest France, on July 13.
Laurent Theillet/AFP/Getty Images
Holidaymakers at the Dune du Pilat campsite lie in survival blankets after being evacuated from their campsite in western France, on July 13.
Thibaud Moritz/AFP/Getty Images
People take pictures of Canadairs flying over the Dune of Pilat in La Teste-de-Buch, southwest France, on July 14.
Thibaud Moritz/AFP/Getty Images
Tactical firefighters set a backfire to a plot of land to prevent the blaze from spreading further as the winds change in Louchats, France, on July 17.
Thibaud Moritz/AFP/Getty Images
Residents watch as a column of smoke emerges from a forest fire in A Pobra do Brollon, Galicia, Spain, on July 17.
Eliseo Trigo/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Residents of Alhaurin el Grande have been preventively evacuated due to the fire in the Sierra de Mijas on July 15 in Andalusia, Spain.
Alex Zea/Europa Press/Getty Images
A firefighter tackles the flames surrounding Ancede village during a wildfire in the municipality of Baiao, Portugal, on July 15.
Hugo Delgado/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock