THE largest wildfire of the year is tearing through Spain while blazes scorch holiday hotspots in France and Greece as Europe braces for a sweltering 47C heatwave.
Shocking footage shows fire crews battling towering flames in the Guadalajara region, where 26,000 hectares of land – roughly the size of Edinburgh – have been torched so far.
Spanish crews have been tackling the largest wildfire of the year outside Madrid Credit: News X
A firefighting helicopter drops water on a mountain wildfire near Thessaloniki, Greece Credit: EPA
Several areas of southern Europe have been gripped by a spate of wildfires this summer Credit: EPA
Firefighters work to contain the wildfire in the Fontainebleau Forest, France Credit: Getty
Spain has been , including one of its deadliest in recent memory, where in the southern province of Almeria.
Seven Brits – – died in the blaze that consumed 7,000 hectares of land.
Now, firefighters have been working near the village of La Mierla, around 60 miles from , to contain what is already the country’s biggest wildfire of the year.
More than 1,200 residents have been displaced across 28 municipalities, with people in affected areas receiving alerts on their mobile phones.
Firefighters douse flames after a wildfire in Greece Credit: Reuters
The fire is believed to have broken out on July 16 and was apparently ignited by harvesting activity.
Regional government president Emiliano Garcia-Page said there has been a “historic” deployment of resources poured in to fight the fire as they make a “truly titanic” effort to contain it.
Some 278 personnel were deployed alongside 53 ground vehicles and two aerial units.
Garcia-Page also warned that almost 30 population centres are now surrounded by flames and that it is the “absolute priority” to protect them.
The wildfire in La Mierla, Guadalajara, has already burned 26,000 hectares of land Credit: EPA
Europe is bracing for temperatures as high as 47C in what has been dubbed ‘the mother of all heatwaves’ Credit: Reuters
The difficulty authorities are having, he said, is that the blaze is ripping through “the emptied Spain, the Spain of abandoned territories”.
But Garcia-Page continued: “We will defeat this fire, people should have no doubt about that.”
, too, has been , with a blaze on the Mediterranean coast near Frejus threatening homes.
Around 445 acres have been scorched so far, forcing the evacuation of several hamlets as strong winds spread the flames.
Local prefect Simon Babre told BFM TV: “The fire spread extremely quickly in the context of this heatwave and extreme drought.”
this summer, with one notable blaze ravaging 2,050 hectares of the famous Fontainebleau forest.
French President said the country “has never faced so many outbreaks of fire across the country since the end of World War II.”
Greek authorities are also fighting blazes sprouting up around the country amid desert-like temperatures.
And further afield, wildfires across Canada have led to accusing the country of “poisoning our air”.
It comes as many tourist hotspots across southern Europe brace for more extreme heat.
Temperatures are expected to soar to as high as 47C in the Murcia region of Spain in what the country’s newspapers have dubbed “the mother of all heatwaves”.
Spain’s weather agency AEMET said the heatwave, the third this year, is expected to last at least until Thursday.
for holidaying Brits jetting off to Greece this summer as highs of 43C are set to hit the country.
The Mediterranean nation will face its hottest days of the year so far – and visitors from the UK have been urged to travel with caution.
The unprecedented kicked off on Sunday and is expected to last until Wednesday.
The mercury will soar past 40C in several regions – and experts say locals and tourists may feel this more acutely because of intense sunlight.
In Thessaly, Aitoloakarnania, Phthiotis, Boeotia and the Peloponnese, residents will see temperatures of up to 42C, while in Larissa, highs of 43C are expected.
Holiday hotspots Crete and Rhodes will also record sweltering highs of 41C, authorities predict.
In Athens, it could reach 40C, with most areas around the capital set to see temperatures between 37C and 38C.
In Thessaloniki – where huge wildfires engulfed swathes of land earlier this month – temperatures will reach about 37C.
Doctors have urged people to drink plenty of water, avoid direct sunlight, and wear loose clothing while also avoiding booze if possible.
As a precautionary measure, several Greek cities have opened air-conditioned halls and public spaces for locals and holidaymakers to cool off.
The UK Foreign Office’s website says there is still a “high risk of wildfires” from April to October.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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