London, Europe Brief News – Spain and Germany are struggling to contain wildfires amid a heatwave in Western Europe, unusual for this time of year.
The worst damage in Spain has been in the northwest province of Zamora where more than 25,000 hectares (61,000 acres) have been consumed by flames, regional authorities said on Sunday.
German officials said residents of three villages near Berlin were ordered to leave their homes on Sunday because of an approaching wildfire.
Experts have linked the wildfires for Europe to climate change.
Mercury rose above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in many Spanish cities throughout the week – such temperatures that are usually expected in August.
A lack of rainfall this year, combined with gusting winds, has also produced the conditions for the fires.
Following three days of high temperatures, strong winds and low humidity, some respite came on Sunday with dropping temperatures that allowed for about 650 firefighters, supported by water-dumping aircraft, to establish a perimeter around the fire that started in Zamora’s Sierra de la Culebra.
Authorities warned there was still danger that an unfavourable shift in weather could revive the blaze that has already caused the evacuation of 18 villages.
Authorities said gusting winds of up to 70kmph (43mph) that changed course erratically, combined with temperatures near 40C, made it very tough for fire crews to fight the blazes.
“The fire was able to cross a reservoir some 500 metres [1,640 feet] wide and reach the other side, to give you an idea of the difficulties we faced,” Juan Suárez-Quiñones, an official for Castilla y León region, told the Spanish state television TVE.
The fire in Zamora was started by a strike from an electrical storm on Wednesday, authorities said. The spreading fire caused the high-speed train service from Madrid to Spain’s northwest to be cut on Saturday. It was re-established on Sunday morning.
