Forest fires rage in scorching southwest Europe

• Europe enters sixth day of heatwave that has sparked devastating forest fires.
• Meteo France said temperatures will range between 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) and 40C in the south of France on Saturday.
• New heat records expected to be set in Portugal and Spain next week. Forecasters warn of more unusually warm weather ahead in the UK.

Southwest Europe entered the sixth day of a summer heatwave that has sparked on Saturday, devastating forest fires, with parts of the continent bracing for new temperature records early next week.

Since the beginning of the week, firefighters in France, Portugal, and Spain, as well as Greece, have battled forest fires that have ravaged thousands of hectares of land and killed several firefighters.

“The fire is still not under control,” said Ronan Leaustic, an official in Arcachon in southwest France’s Gironde region where firefighters battled to put out two forest blazes that have devoured 9,000 hectares (22,200 acres) since Tuesday.

Meteo France said temperatures will range between 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) and 40C in the south of France on Saturday, with new heat records expected on Monday.

Authorities in the French Alps have urged climbers seeking to ascend Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest mountain, to postpone their trip due to repeated rock falls caused by “exceptional climatic conditions” and “drought”.

The call comes after a section of Italy’s biggest Alpine glacier gave way at the start of the month, sending ice and rock hurtling down the mountain and killing 11 people, in a disaster officials blamed on climate change.

In Portugal, the meteorological institute forecast temperatures of up to 42C and thermometer readings were not expected to drop below 40C until next week.

The civil defence, however, took advantage of a slight drop in temperatures after a July record of 47C on Thursday to try to stamp out one last major fire in the north of the country.

“The risk of fires remains very high,” civil defence chief Andre Fernandes warned during a midday briefing.

“This is a weekend of extreme vigilance.”

He spoke after an air tanker that had been fighting fires in northern Portugal crashed on Friday, killing its pilot.

A day earlier, two people were killed when a firefighting helicopter plummeted into the sea off Greece.

In Spain, the national meteorological agency maintained various levels of alert across the nation, warning of up to 44C in some regions.

Dozens of forest fires continued to rage in different parts of the country.

One blaze in the south caused the authorities to cordon off a section of a key highway connecting Madrid to the Portuguese capital Lisbon.

The fires have scorched thousands of hectares in the Spanish region of Extremadura.

In Greece, the civil defence rushed to douse flames raging on the Mediterranean island of Crete.

Further north, people were also bracing for more unusually warm weather.

In the United Kingdom, a crisis committee of government ministers was meeting later Saturday after the state meteorological agency issued a first-ever “red” warning for extreme heat, cautioning there is a “risk to life”.

The Met Office said that in southern England, temperatures could exceed 40C for the first time on Monday or Tuesday.

Mayor Sadiq Khan advised Londoners to use public transportation only if “absolutely necessary” on those days. National train companies have also advised passengers to avoid travel.

Some schools in southern England have informed parents that they will be closed during the upcoming heatwave.

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