European Countries Battle Wildfires Across the Region

EUROPE – Firefighters across Europe are battling multiple wildfires amid record-breaking heat and extremely dry conditions.

The historic temperatures, linked to human-caused climate change, are affecting countries not accustomed to such extreme heat, particularly those with limited air conditioning.

France is experiencing its driest year on record, with a new blaze ravaging woodlands in the Landes region and forcing more than 500 people to evacuate. Several other fires are burning across the country, including in normally cooler regions.

France has also shut down six nuclear reactors because of extreme heat and drought, compounded by an influx of jellyfish near a power plant on the English Channel coast.

In central England, a large blaze in Stourbridge destroyed an estimated 20 to 30 homes, leaving residents without roofs.

Across Europe, tourists and residents are doing their best to cope with the extreme conditions.