Watch: Heatwave Triggers Massive Fire
In a statement, emergency and firefighting services said, "Fire crews found two deceased individuals" near the town of Coscó.
Catalonia's regional president, Salvador Illa, expressed his 'sorrow' over the deaths.
Authorities in the region ordered around 14,000 people to stay indoors due to this fire and another that erupted around the same time in the same province.
Watch the attached video for more.
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Nahar Net
4 days ago
- Nahar Net
Wildfire kills 2 people in Spain as parts of Europe bake in heat wave
A relentless European heat wave helped fuel a deadly wildfire in Spain while the European Union presented plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under scorching temperatures on Wednesday. The blaze that broke out late on Tuesday created an enormous thick plume of ash and smoke that reached 14,000 meters (45,000 feet) of altitude, making it the largest registered by firefighters in Catalonia, a northeastern region of Spain. Two farmers were killed while apparently trying to flee in a vehicle, local authorities said Wednesday. Firefighters said that the fire spread at 28 kph (17 mph) at one point as it consumed 6,500 hectares (16,000 acres) mostly of grain fields, making it one of the fastest fires registered in Europe. "Wildfires today are not like they were before," Salvador Illa, the regional president of Catalonia, said. "These are extremely dangerous. From the very first moment, it was considered to be beyond the capacity of extinction. I mean that not even with two or three times the number of firefighters, they have told me, it would have been possible to put out." Firefighters credited a rainstorm later on Tuesday for having "quickly changed the situation and helped speed up getting the fire stabilized." Two of the 500 firefighters who deployed needed treatment at a local hospital for their injuries. Some 14,000 residents were ordered to stay indoors for several hours on Tuesday night. More hot weather is expected on Wednesday with temperatures in the Lleida region forecast to reach a high of 39 C (102 F). The European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts said that it was closely monitoring the abnormally hot temperatures. Weather experts link the heat wave to climate change. EU presents plan to cut emissions As much of Europe was scorched by torrid weather, the European Commission unveiled proposals to reduce emissions by 90% by 2040 as the 27-nation bloc aims to be fully carbon-neutral by 2050. "We are finally here on a very hot day, and some would call that very timely," Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra told reporters in Brussels. The proposals include allowing businesses to use international carbon credits to offset their emissions. Under the plan, international carbon credits could be used — starting in 2036 and limited to 3% of benchmark 1990 EU emissions — to reach the 2040 emission reduction target. The proposals have to be approved by the EU's 27 member states. More than two-thirds of the severest heat waves in Europe registered since 1950 have occurred since 2000, the World Meteorological Organization says. Spain's seas heat up After Spain already set a record for June air temperatures, Spanish port authorities recorded the hottest ever water temperature readings for June in both the Mediterranean and the part of the Atlantic nearest to France. Experts say higher surface temperatures are bad for sea life and make for warmer nights on shore. "A much warmer sea around us contributes to the nights not cooling down, which is detrimental to people's rest," Manuel Vargas, researcher at the Oceanographic Center of Malaga, told The Associated Press. Also in Spain's southern city of Malaga, the international Red Cross set up an air-conditioned "climate refuge" to help residents. The Spanish Red Cross was itself providing an "assisted bathing service" to help people with reduced mobility to cool down in waters at the beach. Air conditioning strains Italian power Heat alerts were issued for 17 Italian cities Wednesday. The corresponding surge in air conditioning was straining the electric grid and causing periodic blackouts. On Tuesday, parts of Florence's historic center had a blackout following a surge in electricity use, energy company Enel said. Italy's labor ministry, meanwhile, summoned union representatives to a meeting Wednesday to finalize a protocol on protecting farm, construction and other workers who labor outdoors from heat exposure. This came after a construction worker died in Bologna this week. On Tuesday, Catholic bishops from Asia, Africa and Latin America met in the Vatican to demand climate justice for the parts of the world most affected by rising temperatures. France remains under alert France's national weather agency kept four departments under red alert on Wednesday after temperatures exceeded 40 C (104 F) in many towns. The summit of Paris' iconic Eiffel Tower remained closed until Thursday for "everyone's comfort and safety." Switzerland protects river In Switzerland, one of the two reactors at the Beznau nuclear power plant was shut down as part of efforts to prevent excessive warming of the Aare River, so as not to further burden wildlife and the overall ecosystem in already hot weather, operator Axpo said. Water fight in the Netherlands Hundreds of people in the central town of Soest cooled down on a baking-hot Tuesday night by taking on the local fire brigade in a water fight. Townsfolk were armed with water guns, the first responders with fire hoses.
MTV Lebanon
5 days ago
- MTV Lebanon
Watch: Heatwave Triggers Massive Fire
Spanish firefighting teams discovered two bodies following a wildfire that broke out in the province of Lleida, in the northeastern region of Catalonia, amid an intense heatwave sweeping the country. In a statement, emergency and firefighting services said, "Fire crews found two deceased individuals" near the town of Coscó. Catalonia's regional president, Salvador Illa, expressed his 'sorrow' over the deaths. Authorities in the region ordered around 14,000 people to stay indoors due to this fire and another that erupted around the same time in the same province. Watch the attached video for more.
MTV Lebanon
6 days ago
- MTV Lebanon
Heatwave Grips Europe: France Closes Schools, Italy Restricts Outdoor Work
Italy banned outdoor work in some regions during the warmest hours, France shut schools and part of the Eiffel Tower and Spain confirmed its hottest June on record as a severe heatwave gripped Europe, triggering widespread health alerts. The risks of working outside in searing temperatures were highlighted as trade unions attributed the death of a construction worker near the Italian city Bologna on Monday to the heat. In Barcelona, authorities were looking into whether the death of a street sweeper over the weekend was also heat-related. Turkey continued to battle wildfires which forced the temporary evacuation of around 50,000 people on Monday in areas surrounding the city of Izmir, the province of Manisa and Hatay in the southeast. Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, heating up at twice the global average, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, with extreme heatwaves starting earlier in the year and persisting for longer. "What is exceptional ... but not unprecedented is the time of year," said World Meteorological Organization spokesperson Clare Nullis, adding that extreme heat episodes were seen now "which normally we would see later on in the summer." Higher temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea tend to reinforce extreme temperatures over land areas, she said. The Mediterranean Sea hit a record 30 C (86 F) off Spain, six degrees above the seasonal average, Spanish weather forecaster AEMET said, as a high pressure system trapped hot air above Europe, a phenomenon known as a heat dome. JUNE A SCORCHER Spain recorded its hottest June last month, with an average temperature of 23.6 C, AEMET said. Indeed, for the continent, the month likely ranks among the five warmest Junes on record, Copernicus said. England experienced its hottest June since at least 1884, the Met Office said, citing provisional data. The Red Cross set up an air-conditioned "climate refuge" for residents in southern Malaga, said IFRC spokesperson Tommaso Della Longa, while in Germany, people hit the ski slopes to avoid heat in the cities. Extreme heat kills up to 480,000 people annually around the world, according to Swiss Re, which notes this exceeds the combined toll from floods, earthquakes and hurricanes. The heat was set to peak in France on Tuesday, reaching 40-41 C in some areas, weather forecaster Meteo France said. Nearly 1,900 schools were closed, up from around 200 on Monday. A Paris-Milan rail service was disrupted because of a mudslide on the French side of the Alps, with full service not expected to be fully restored until mid-July, French rail operator SNCF said. The top floor of the Eiffel Tower closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, disappointing scores of visitors. "I tried to get all organised before our departure and the result is nonsense," said Laia Pons, 42, a teacher from Barcelona who booked Eiffel tickets for her family three years ago. When temperatures rise, the puddled iron used to build the Eiffel Tower expands in size and tilts slightly, with no impact on its structural integrity, according to its website.
