Thousands in Spain return home but new heatwave raises wildfire fears - BBC

What the report says

BBC News reported that thousands of people in Spain have been allowed to go back home after evacuation restrictions were eased, even as Spain and France entered a fourth heatwave of the summer and firefighters remained alert for renewed wildfire activity. In the Madrid region, authorities said 24,000 people could return, while lockdown measures affecting another 20,000 were lifted. Residents from Navas del Rey and Chapinería, west of Madrid, were among those returning after sheltering near the capital.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the coming hours would be critical for efforts to extinguish a fire near Madrid, citing heat, low humidity and possible wind gusts. BBC reported that more than 43,000 hectares had burned at Burgohondo in Ávila province, west of Madrid, making it the largest recorded wildfire in Spain’s history. Across Spain this year, more than 207,000 hectares have been burned. One fire was still uncontrolled at Vall d’Uixó, northwest of Valencia.

The wider southern European fire crisis has also affected Greece, Turkey, France and Portugal. BBC reported that three Greek firefighters died while battling blazes in Crete and the Peloponnese, with villages evacuated in western Crete after strong winds drove the flames. Fires were also reported on Paros, Lesbos and parts of the Greek mainland, while a fire in Turkey’s Muğla province forced a highway closure and partial hospital evacuation.

In southwest France, officials described major Gironde fires as stabilised but warned of flare-ups, dry winds and temperatures reaching 41C. BBC noted wider scientific context from the Copernicus Climate Change Service: Europe is warming faster than the global average, contributing to more frequent heatwaves, pressure on water supplies and more intense wildfire conditions.