International News: France orders more evacuations as wildfires displace 330,000 across southwest Europe

By Zoila Palma: French authorities ordered nearly 4,000 more people to evacuate on Tuesday as rising temperatures threatened to weaken firefighters’ efforts to contain a massive wildfire in the Gironde region west of Bordeaux. The blaze has already scorched about 420 square kilometers, an area roughly four times the size of Paris, and forced around 220,000 people to flee their homes, campsites and holiday destinations, AP reports. Across France and Spain, approximately 330,000 people have been displaced by wildfires of exceptional scale, as extreme heat and dry conditions fuel blazes across the region. Spain is preparing for its fourth heat wave of the summer, with several fires still burning out of control, including what authorities have described as the largest wildfire in the country’s recorded history. French firefighters managed to prevent the Gironde fire from expanding overnight, bringing several flare-ups near coastal dunes under control. The latest evacuation order covers campsites, holiday villages, tourist residences and leisure parks around the popular resort area of Lacanau. Fire officials urged residents and tourists to stay away from affected areas, while firefighters continued working to protect homes. More than 1,160 square kilometers of land have burned across France this year, according to the Interior Ministry. The fires come amid increasingly severe heat and drought conditions across Europe, which is warming at more than twice the global average, according to the European Union’s Copernicus climate service. The post International News: France orders more evacuations as wildfires displace 330,000 across southwest Europe appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com .