Wildfires spread in Mediterranean, as effects of climate change become graver

Morocco, France, Spain and Portugal are still fighting the wildfires that have been scorching their forests since last week. Fires spread across kilometeres, firefighters have been deployed and evacuations are still ongoing.

Heatwaves have come more frequent, more violent, and longer-lasting due to anthropogenic climate change.

The world has warmed by about1.1 °C since the morning of the industrial age, and unless governments around the world rent carbon dioxide emigrations, temperatures will continue to rise.

Morocco

Morocco mobilized more firefighters and soldiers on Saturday to tackle wildfires that have burned, for many days in remote, forested areas in the north of the country.

The fires that broke out last Thursday in the provinces of Taza, Tetouan and Chefchaouen, were brought under control this Sunday according to local sources.

The entire area has been smoldering and 28 water dumping operations using Canadair and Turbo Trush aircraft were carried out in parallel to the deployment of hundreds of elements of water, forests, civil protection, auxiliary forces, the Royal Armed Forces, national recovery agents and volunteers.

Nearly 4700 hectares have been ravaged by the fires as efforts continue to extinguish the fires.

The evacuation operations of more than a thousand citizens in order to preserve their safety were carried out successfully.

France

The southwest of Europe continues to burn, in the Gironde, a region of Bordeaux as firefighters continued their battle over the weekend to contain a wildfire that has swept through nearly 13,000 hectares that have already gone up in smoke since last Tuesday.

15 departments of the western area are in red vigilance (level 4 of 4) because of the heat wave and 51 departments are in orange.

The situation remains unfavorable, more than 16,200 people were evacuated, and firefighters are doing their best but the fires continue to progress as it regained its intensity with the crush of heat.

Spain

The fires are also multiplying in Spain since last Wednesday, more than 4,400 hectares have burned in the last 7 days across Andalusia and more than 3000 people have been forced to flee and leave their homes.

Smaller fires were also raging in northwestern Catalonia and northern Navarra, one of the many areas in Spain where temperatures remained surprisingly high on Sunday. The Navarra indigenous government has prompted residents to avoid” unnecessary trips” and keep roads clear for firefighters.

The high temperatures have certainly not helped the wildfires decrease.

Portugal

On the other hand and with temperatures not exceeding 40°C for the first time since July 8, Portugal knew this Sunday a lull in the fires with a decrease in temperatures.

The fires in the north of the country are considered almost contained and under control with a loss of between 12,000 and 15,000 hectares of forest since the beginning of the heat wave.

Only one fire is still active, near Chaves, in the north of the country. The Portuguese civil protection announced to have “practically controlled” on 90% of its perimeter. However, the country still presents a very high risk of fire outbreaks.

It was the worst fire damage since the summer of 2017 when about 100 people failed in the ruinous fires.