Latest news with #BenoîtPayan
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Report: Europe's double heat-dome killed 2,300 in two weeks
As many as 2,300 people died of heat-related causes across 12 European cities during the recent two-week heatwave, bleak new research has found. British scientists studying the 10 days to July 2, and looking at cities including London , Madrid, Barcelona and Milan, found climate change had increased temperatures by as much as 4 degrees Celsius, linked to 1,500 of the deaths. Last month was the planet's third-hottest June on record, behind 2024 and 2023, while Western Europe saw its warmest June since records began, the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service said today. Maximum feels-like temperatures north of Lisbon hit 48C, about 7C above average and associated with 'extreme heat stress', it said. Portugal alone has recorded 284 deaths during the ongoing heatwave, with highs of 40C expected to persist until the middle of the week. The Foreign Office this week issued a warning to Brits that the country faces heightened risk of wildfires. More than 100 people were injured and hundreds more evacuated on Tuesday as wildfires broke out on the outskirts of Marseille. Around 800 firefighters were called in, working through the night to try to control the blaze as strong winds helped it spread at a rate of 0.75 miles every minute at its peak. Marseille's mayor Benoît Payan said emergency services were 'waging guerilla warfare,' against the fire, 'hoses in hand', in a desperate bid to stop the spread. In neighbouring Spain, more than 18,000 people in Tarragona were ordered to stay indoors on Tuesday as a wildfire raged out of control, destroying more than 3,300 hectares of vegetation before the lockdown was lifted today. Spain recently sweltered through a heatwave that parched the land, while national weather agency AEMET said last month that it was the country's hottest June on record. Around 21,000 hectares of land have burned so far this year. Two people died in a wildfire on July 1 in the region of Catalonia, where Tarragona is located. Heatwaves are particularly dangerous for the elderly, the sick, young children, outdoor workers, and anyone exposed to high temperatures for prolonged periods without relief. Scientists at Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that in the 10 days to July 2, there may have been some 2,300 heat-related deaths in the cities studied. No official death toll is yet available, and the study has not been peer reviewed. Of the 2,300 people estimated to have died during this period, 1,500 deaths were linked to climate change, which made the heatwave more severe. The researchers used established epidemiological models and historical mortality data to estimate the death toll, which reflects deaths where heat was the underlying reason for mortality, including if exposure exacerbated pre-existing health conditions. 'An increase in heatwave temperature of just two or four degrees can mean the difference between life and death for thousands of people,' said Garyfallos Konstantinoudis, a lecturer at Imperial College London. Officials told residents they were no longer in lockdown, though some who were evacuated were likely to find their homes in ashes. Ten houses were completely destroyed and dozens damaged, they said, though no fatalities were reported. Likewise in Spain, Wednesday saw the lifting of a lockdown for thousands of villagers in northeastern Catalonia. Firefighters were still trying to bring the fire under control after three days. Catalonia's fire service said it had 'stabilised' the blaze but continued to work with ground units, helicopters and airplanes on several hotspots, including cliffs and areas that are hard to access. The blaze that started on Monday has burned more than 3,300 hectares (8,154 acres) in Tarragona province, with the protected Els Ports natural park making up around one-third of the affected area, Catalan countryside rangers said. In the Balkans, Greece was bracing for an extreme wildfire threat on Wednesday. The Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection said Attica (excluding Kythira), Central Greece (parts of Boeotia and Phthiotis), the Peloponnese (Corinth) and Thessaly (Magnesia region, excluding the Sporades Islands) were at the highest level of risk. Bulgaria also saw two wildfires break out on Tuesday as temperatures reached a record 42C. The city of Veliko Tarnovo and the town of Ihtiman, both in land, saw huge fires break out, prompting large-scale responses from emergency services. And North Macedonia declared a 30-day State of Crisis on Wednesday due to the rise in reports of wildfires. The move will ready army, police, fire services and other relevant agencies to rapidly mobilise in case of future fires. Storms brought heavy rain to Croatia. A tree caught on fire near Split Airport when struck by lightning this week. Poland also readied troops for bad weather. According to Expressen, 7,000 troops have been put on alert to assist in evacuation efforts as the country braces for torrential rains over the next two days. Authorities say the weather could cause flooding, power outages and devastation. Temperatures across the UK, meanwhile, are set to rise 'day by day' through the rest of the week with predicted highs 'in the low 30s', the Met Office said.
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Europe's freak back-to-back heat-domes killed 2,300 in eight days with temperatures 'reaching 48C', study finds - as continent is ravaged by more wildfires and extreme weather
As many as 2,300 people died of heat-related causes across 12 European cities during the recent two-week heatwave, bleak new research has found. British scientists studying the 10 days to July 2, and looking at cities including London, Madrid, Barcelona and Milan, found climate change had increased temperatures by as much as 4 degrees Celsius, linked to 1,500 of the deaths Last month was the planet's third-hottest June on record, behind 2024 and 2023, while Western Europe saw its warmest June since records began, the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service said today. Maximum feels-like temperatures north of Lisbon hit 48C, about 7C above average and associated with 'extreme heat stress', it said. Portugal alone has recorded 284 deaths during the ongoing heatwave, with highs of 40C expected to persist until the middle of the week. The Foreign Office this week issued a warning to Brits that the country faces heightened risk of wildfires. More than 100 people were injured and hundreds more evacuated on Tuesday as wildfires broke out on the outskirts of Marseille. Around 800 firefighters were called in, working through the night to try to control the blaze as strong winds helped it spread at a rate of 0.75 miles every minute at its peak. Marseille's mayor Benoît Payan said emergency services were 'waging guerilla warfare,' against the fire, 'hoses in hand', in a desperate bid to stop the spread. In neighbouring Spain, more than 18,000 people in Tarragona were ordered to stay indoors on Tuesday as a wildfire raged out of control, destroying more than 3,300 hectares of vegetation before the lockdown was lifted today. Spain recently sweltered through a heatwave that parched the land, while national weather agency AEMET said last month that it was the country's hottest June on record. Around 21,000 hectares of land have burned so far this year. Two people died in a wildfire on July 1 in the region of Catalonia, where Tarragona is located. Heatwaves are particularly dangerous for the elderly, the sick, young children, outdoor workers, and anyone exposed to high temperatures for prolonged periods without relief. Scientists at Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that in the 10 days to July 2, there may have been some 2,300 heat-related deaths in the cities studied. No official death toll is yet available, and the study has not been peer reviewed. Of the 2,300 people estimated to have died during this period, 1,500 deaths were linked to climate change, which made the heatwave more severe. The researchers used established epidemiological models and historical mortality data to estimate the death toll, which reflects deaths where heat was the underlying reason for mortality, including if exposure exacerbated pre-existing health conditions. 'An increase in heatwave temperature of just two or four degrees can mean the difference between life and death for thousands of people,' said Garyfallos Konstantinoudis, a lecturer at Imperial College London. 'This is why heatwaves are known as silent killers. Most heat-related deaths occur in homes and hospitals out of public view and are rarely reported,' he told reporters. Globally, last month was the third warmest June on record. The hottest June was in 2024 and the second hottest was in 2023, Copernicus said. Several countries recorded surface temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), with heat of up to 46C (114.8F) in Spain and Portugal, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said. Dangerous temperatures have stretched into July, with tourist hotspots pressed to provide relief in affected regions as firefighters stand by to deal with future wildfires The Acropolis in Athens today limited its operating hours for a second straight day because of heatwave conditions. The Greek ministry of culture cited 'the safety of workers and visitors, owing to high temperatures.' In France, the wildfire that reached the northwestern outskirts of Marseille lost intensity on Wednesday, but firefighters still continued to battle the blaze into today and warned that it could flare up again. Officials told residents they were no longer in lockdown, though some who were evacuated were likely to find their homes in ashes. Ten houses were completely destroyed and dozens damaged, they said, though no fatalities were reported. Likewise in Spain, Wednesday saw the lifting of a lockdown for thousands of villagers in northeastern Catalonia. Firefighters were still trying to bring the fire under control after three days. Catalonia's fire service said it had 'stabilised' the blaze but continued to work with ground units, helicopters and aeroplanes on several hotspots, including cliffs and areas that are hard to access. The blaze that started on Monday has burned more than 3,300 hectares (8,154 acres) in Tarragona province, with the protected Els Ports natural park making up around one-third of the affected area, Catalan countryside rangers said. In the Balkans, Greece was bracing for an extreme wildfire threat on Wednesday. The Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection said Attica (excluding Kythira), Central Greece (parts of Boeotia and Phthiotis), the Peloponnese (Corinth) and Thessaly (Magnesia region, excluding the Sporades Islands) were at the highest level of risk. Bulgaria also saw two wildfires break out on Tuesday as temperatures reached a record 42C. The city of Veliko Tarnovo and the town of Ihtiman, both in land, saw huge fires break out, prompting large-scale responses from emergency services. And North Macedonia declared a 30-day State of Crisis on Wednesday due to the rise in reports of wildfires. The move will ready army, police, fire services and other relevant agencies to rapidly mobilise in case of future fires. Storms brought heavy rain to Croatia. A tree caught on fire near Split Airport when struck by lightning this week. Poland also readied troops for bad weather. According to Expressen, 7,000 troops have been put on alert to assist in evacuation efforts as the country braces for torrential rains over the next two days. Authorities say the weather could cause flooding, power outages and devastation. Temperatures across the UK, meanwhile, are set to rise 'day by day' through the rest of the week with predicted highs 'in the low 30s', the Met Office said. The forecaster said highs of 26C to 28C can be expected in some of the hotter spots across central parts of the UK from Wednesday. By the end of the week, even the far north and west can expect hot temperatures 'in the high 20s and low 30s', a Met Office meteorologist said. It comes after a yellow heat health alert was issued for the southern half of England on Tuesday by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
The Guardian
09-07-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
French warned of high-risk summer for wildfires as Marseille blaze contained
More than 15,000 residents of Marseille confined to their homes have been allowed out after a wildfire on the outskirts of France's second city was brought under control, but officials have warned the country faces an exceptionally high-risk summer. Fanned by gale-force winds and kindled by parched vegetation, several fires have burned swathes of southern France in recent days, including Tuesday's just north of the port city. The weather service has said the weeks ahead could be critical. 'The fire is receding, but with a blaze this severe, over this big an area, it's clear there may be fresh flare-ups, flames can jump, embers can reignite,' the prefect of the Bouches-du-Rhône department, Georges-François Leclerc, said on Wednesday. The mayor of Marseille, Benoît Payan, said firefighters had the blaze 'clearly under control' and residents of the northern 16th arrondissement were 'no longer under lockdown', but he urged people to 'exercise the utmost caution throughout the area'. More than 700 firefighters and 220 emergency vehicles aided by helicopters and planes continued to battle the blaze, which has burned through 750 hectares of land and damaged more than 70 houses, including some inside the city. No serious injuries were reported, but about 40 people, including firefighters and police, were treated for smoke inhalation and minor injuries. Sixteen needed hospital treatment. More than 400 people were evacuated, including 70 residents of a retirement home in the suburb of Les Pennes-Mirabeau, where a car fire sparked the blaze. Flights to and from Marseille airport, France's fourth-largest, which was closed from midday on Tuesday, have resumed, but authorities said they may be suspended again at short notice if the facilities were needed for firefighting aircraft. Train and bus services, many of which were cancelled, were also returning to normal and several motorways and main roads were reopened after being closed to reduce the risk to the public and allow free passage for emergency vehicles. Marseille's fire service chief, Lionel Mathieu, said the forecast was for the wind to pick up again later on Wednesday, 'but more moderately than yesterday'. A strong Mistral wind gusting up to 60mph (100km/h) helped the fire spread rapidly on Tuesday. The fire filled central Marseille with acrid smoke and flying cinders. Videos from the Old Port area showed large plumes of smoke billowing over the city and satellite images showed smoke clouds stretching about 100km out to sea. Three southern departments have been placed on red fire alert, with many of the region's forests closed and barbecues and cigarettes banned near wooded areas. 'There's every reason to believe we're heading for a high-risk summer,' France's interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, said. The Mediterranean is one of the regions most vulnerable to extreme heat driven by the climate crisis. Two smaller wildfires in the Gard and Hérault departments had burned through 1,000 hectares by midday on Wednesday, local authorities said. A major three-day blaze on the outskirts of Narbonne had destroyed nearly 2,000 hectares of forest, scrub and farmland and was 'still active', the prefect of the Aude department said, with embers sporadically reigniting. The national weather service has said the country's entire southern region is at 'high' or 'very high' risk for at least the next few days, with temperatures forecast to rise further. It described the situation around the Mediterranean as critical. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion Grégory Allione, an MP and honorary president of the French firefighters association, told Le Monde that the country had learned lessons from the disastrous summer of 2022, when wildfires destroyed 70,000 hectares. An advanced observation system using fixed cameras, drones and AI analysis ensures almost all fire starts – 5,900 have been reported this year – are tackled within 15 minutes of detection, and most are contained before they spread beyond a hectare. Many of France's ageing fleet of about 40 firefighting aircraft are 30 or even 40 years old, however, and replacements are not scheduled to arrive until 2028 or 2029. A government spokesperson told French radio that spending on firefighting equipment, including new planes, would be ringfenced from budget cuts of €40bn (£34.5bn) to be announced by the country's prime minister, François Bayrou. Experts have also warned, however, that the fleet is undersized, and the historic drought that has gripped much of southern Europe for several years means plentiful water supplies for firefighters are increasingly unreliable. Several other Mediterranean countries have been battling similar wildfires. A blaze in the Spanish province of Tarragona has burned through more than 3,100 hectares of forest, farm and urban land, and confined 18,000 people. In Syria, wildfires have raged in the northern Latakia province for a sixth day, burning more than 18,000 hectares. More than 1,100 people have been displaced as authorities warn that strong winds threaten to spread the fires to neighbouring provinces. Though wildfires are a near-annual occurrence on the forested Syrian coast, the blazes were particularly intense as the country's worst drought in decades has turned Mediterranean pines into bone-dry kindling. Syria has received about 50% of its usual rainfall this year. Efforts to contain the fires are also hampered by a lack of resources, an air force crippled by Israeli strikes and mountainous terrain filled with unexploded ordnance from the 14-year civil war. Additional reporting by William Christou in Beirut
The Guardian
09-07-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
French warned of high-risk summer for wildfires as Marseille blaze contained
More than 15,000 residents of Marseille confined to their homes have been allowed out after a wildfire on the outskirts of France's second city was brought under control, but officials have warned the country faces an exceptionally high-risk summer. Fanned by gale-force winds and kindled by parched vegetation, several fires have burned swathes of southern France in recent days, including Tuesday's just north of the port city. The weather service has said the weeks ahead could be critical. 'The fire is receding, but with a blaze this severe, over this big an area, it's clear there may be fresh flare-ups, flames can jump, embers can reignite,' the prefect of the Bouches-du-Rhône department, Georges-François Leclerc, said on Wednesday. The mayor of Marseille, Benoît Payan, said firefighters had the blaze 'clearly under control' and residents of the northern 16th arrondissement were 'no longer under lockdown', but he urged people to 'exercise the utmost caution throughout the area'. More than 700 firefighters and 220 emergency vehicles aided by helicopters and planes continued to battle the blaze, which has burned through 750 hectares of land and damaged more than 70 houses, including some inside the city. No serious injuries were reported, but about 40 people, including firefighters and police, were treated for smoke inhalation and minor injuries. Sixteen needed hospital treatment. More than 400 people were evacuated, including 70 residents of a retirement home in the suburb of Les Pennes-Mirabeau, where a car fire sparked the blaze. Flights to and from Marseille airport, France's fourth-largest, which was closed from midday on Tuesday, have resumed, but authorities said they may be suspended again at short notice if the facilities were needed for firefighting aircraft. Train and bus services, many of which were cancelled, were also returning to normal and several motorways and main roads were reopened after being closed to reduce the risk to the public and allow free passage for emergency vehicles. Marseille's fire service chief, Lionel Mathieu, said the forecast was for the wind to pick up again later on Wednesday, 'but more moderately than yesterday'. A strong Mistral wind gusting up to 60mph (100km/h) helped the fire spread rapidly on Tuesday. The fire filled central Marseille with acrid smoke and flying cinders. Videos from the Old Port area showed large plumes of smoke billowing over the city and satellite images showed smoke clouds stretching about 100km out to sea. Three southern departments have been placed on red fire alert, with many of the region's forests closed and barbecues and cigarettes banned near wooded areas. 'There's every reason to believe we're heading for a high-risk summer,' France's interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, said. The Mediterranean is one of the regions most vulnerable to extreme heat driven by the climate crisis. Two smaller wildfires in the Gard and Hérault departments had burned through 1,000 hectares by midday on Wednesday, local authorities said. A major three-day blaze on the outskirts of Narbonne has destroyed nearly 2,000 hectares of forest, scrub and farmland and was 'still active', the prefect of the Aude department said, with embers sporadically reigniting. The national weather service has said the country's entire southern region is at 'high' or 'very high' risk for at least the next few days, with temperatures forecast to rise further. It described the situation around the Mediterranean as critical. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion Grégory Allione, an MP and honorary president of the French firefighters association, told Le Monde that the country had learned lessons from the disastrous summer of 2022, when wildfires destroyed 70,000 hectares. An advanced observation system using fixed cameras, drones and AI analysis ensures almost all fire starts – 5,900 have been reported this year – are tackled within 15 minutes of detection, and most are contained before they spread beyond a hectare. Many of France's ageing fleet of about 40 firefighting aircraft are 30 or even 40 years old, however, and replacements are not scheduled to arrive until 2028 or 2029. A government spokesperson told French radio that spending on firefighting equipment, including new planes, would be ringfenced from budget cuts of €40bn (£34.5bn) to be announced by the country's prime minister, François Bayrou. Experts have also warned, however, that the fleet is undersized, and the historic drought that has gripped much of southern Europe for several years means plentiful water supplies for firefighters are increasingly unreliable. Several other Mediterranean countries have been battling similar wildfires. A blaze in the Spanish province of Tarragona has burned through more than 3,100 hectares of forest, farm and urban land, and confined 18,000 people. In Syria, wildfires have raged in the northern Latakia province for a sixth day, burning more than 18,000 hectares. More than 1,100 people have been displaced as authorities warn that strong winds threaten to spread the fires to neighbouring provinces. Though wildfires are a near-annual occurrence on the forested Syrian coast, the blazes were particularly intense as the country's worst drought in decades has turned Mediterranean pines into bone-dry kindling. Syria has received about 50% of its usual rainfall this year. Efforts to contain the fires are also hampered by a lack of resources, an air force crippled by Israeli strikes and mountainous terrain filled with unexploded ordnance from the 14-year civil war. Additional reporting by William Christou in Beirut
Saudi Gazette
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Saudi Gazette
More than 100 injured and hundreds more evacuated as wildfire rages near French city of Marseille
MARSEILLE — More than 100 people were injured in a fast-moving wildfire threatening the southern French city of Marseille, according to local authorities. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said around 800 firefighters were at the scene and would work 'all night' to contain the blaze. He said that if the wind weakens as forecast overnight, it would 'allow us to determine the situation in the coming hours.' No deaths have been reported by late Tuesday evening, according to the French minister. Marseille's mayor Benoît Payan said emergency services were 'waging guerrilla warfare, hoses in hand.' The fire spread at a rate of 1.2km per minute at its peak, he added. French media report that at least 400 people have been evacuated from their homes. This includes 71 residents of a nursing home in Pennes-Mirabeau. Nine firefighters have been injured. Residents have been warned to stay indoors and not evacuate unless they were instructed to, so the roads would be clear for emergency vehicles. Authorities also urged people to keep windows closed to prevent toxic smoke from entering their homes. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed support for the firefighters in the region, condolences for the injured and urged caution and adherence to safety instructions. The local fire service said 168 firefighters were deployed along with fire engines and helicopters. The fire reportedly broke out near the town of Les Pennes Mirabeau. Flights to and from Marseille were suspended on Tuesday and traffic at the city's main station was disrupted due to the wildfire. Sections of two major motorways were also closed to traffic. As a safety measure, the city's Hospital Nord switched to generators 'due to micro power cuts.' Several weeks of heat waves combined with strong winds have increased the risk of wildfires in southern France, with several breaking out over the past couple of days. — Euronews
