The fire in the Gironde and Landes regions has destroyed 29 square miles of land – about 7,000 hectares. At least 10,000 people were evacuated from their homes, while 360 firefighters and 100 vehicles were sent from Germany, Romania, Poland and Austria to help put out the flames. Storm warnings for next week. watch live weather updates Greece also sent two specialist aircraft, while Sweden deployed two Air Tractor firefighting aircraft to help with separate fires in Brittany. Gregory Allione, of the French fire service FNSPF, described it as an “ogre” or “monster”. Image: Planes help fight ‘monster’ fire in Gironde, France Image: Burnt trees in Gironde, south-west France August’s high temperatures and long periods without rain have led to fires in rural areas across the continent. In Portugal, 1,500 firefighters are working for a sixth day to put out a 40-square-mile blaze in the central Covilha region, including parts of the Serra da Estrela national park. Over the border in Spain, electrical storms sparked a forest fire in Caceres, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of local residents. Image: Fires in Videmonte, Celorico da Beira, Portugal Image: Smoke rises from wildfires in Videmonte, Portugal Alpine cattle carry water by helicopter Across the Alps, Swiss army helicopters have been enlisted to carry water to cows, pigs and goats whose normal water supplies have dried up. Elsewhere in France, trucks must deliver water to remote villages where springs have run dry, while nuclear power plants have given up on pumping hot waste water into rivers. Image: Damage caused by forest fires in the Czech Switzerland National Park in the Czech Republic Germany’s Rhine River is at such low levels that shipping and freight operations are being disrupted. While on the Italian island of Sicily, the mayor of Palermo demanded that horses carrying tourists be given at least 10 liters of water a day as a safety precaution. Image: Smoke and flames from a fire in Caceres, Spain Image: Smoke from fires in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany Droughts, which have also been reported in large areas of England, are expected to reduce the EU maize harvest by 15% this year. This would result in a 15-year low yield, exacerbated by the rise in prices since the war in Ukraine. Experts called on governments to protect water supplies and agricultural sectors to prevent further chaos.
