Blistering heatwaves and scant rainfall have fuelled historic wildfires that have ripped through parts of France and Spain and show little sign of slowing down.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been forced to leave their homes, in one of Europe’s biggest evacuation efforts since World War II.
The European Commission has activated its emergency response system to support the two countries, as footage of thick plumes of smoke and uncontrollable flames reveals how much damage has already been caused.
But the bloc’s firefighting capacity is struggling to keep pace with the increasing intensity of the fires, which have already scorched more than 80,000 hectares in Spain and 42,000 hectares in France.
Yesterday (27 July) a wildfire in France grew so powerful that its own smoke column became a thunderstorm, generating lightning that struck the ground and ignited new fires beyond the original blaze. The thundercloud also produced “violent, erratic winds” capable of driving the fire in new directions, according to news agency AP.
