Trending 
Hundreds of firefighters battled major wildfires across France, Spain and Portugal on Sunday as temperatures rose again in the heatwave-scarred Europe.
The wildfires have already destroyed more than 17,000 hectares of forest and vegetation across the three countries, with temperatures in some areas forecast to climb to 40 degrees Celsius.
The latest outbreaks come after one of Europe’s deadliest heatwaves in recent years, during which authorities recorded thousands of excess deaths.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has already expressed concern that this year’s wildfire season started about a month earlier than usual.
In northeastern Spain, firefighters continued efforts to contain a wildfire near the Costa Brava coastline after it scorched more than 2,200 hectares in just two days.
The Catalonia Fire Service said crews worked through the night to strengthen containment lines around the blaze near La Bisbal d’Empordà, which had been stabilised despite difficult conditions caused by rising temperatures and numerous lingering hotspots.
Catalonia’s regional president, Salvador Illa, said authorities had arrested a man in connection with the fire, which severely affected the protected Gavarres natural area between Barcelona and the French border.
Nearly 600 firefighters were deployed to contain a wildfire that has burned more than 1,000 hectares of mountainside near Trevillach, east of Perpignan.
Authorities closed roads in the affected area and instructed local officials to open emergency shelters for residents who might be forced to evacuate. Another 300 firefighters were also battling a separate blaze in the mountainous Drôme region.
In Portugal, emergency officials said they had brought about 80 per cent of a large wildfire in the country’s north under control after it burned about 13,000 hectares of forest and scrubland.
Civil protection official José Costa said the fire had spread over 35 kilometres since it broke out on Thursday, with about 1,200 firefighters working to contain it.
Spain and Italy also sent aircraft and firefighting assistance after Portugal requested international support. Nine people have reportedly sustained burn injuries. Heat alerts remained in effect across parts of Portugal, Spain and southern France on Sunday, with forecasters warning that the latest heatwave would spread further north from Monday and could persist until next weekend.
Scientists from the World Weather Attribution group said the extreme heat experienced across Western Europe in May and June would have been virtually impossible without climate change.
French authorities reported more than 2,000 excess deaths in a single week following June’s prolonged heatwave, while Spain and Belgium each recorded over 1,000 additional deaths linked to the extreme temperatures.
French fire service official Colonel Eric Belgioino warned that the worst of the wildfire season may still lie ahead, urging the public to avoid actions that could spark new fires and support emergency responders as they prepare for what is expected to be a long and difficult summer.
