Southern Europe is suffocating from heat and battling fires, UNESCO sites are under threat

Temperatures above 42°C, hundreds evacuated, and destroyed landscapes – Southern Europe has found itself at the epicenter of deadly heat and massive forest fires. The fire has already reached UNESCO World Heritage sites, and scientists are warning of a dangerous combination of factors that make the fires uncontrollable. This is reported by The Guardian, writes UNN.

Details

Southern Europe is experiencing a record heatwave, which meteorologists are calling one of the most intense in recorded history. In France and Spain, thermometers are exceeding 40°C, and in some regions, up to 42°C is forecast. Meteorological services in both countries have introduced the highest levels of danger, urging the public to be cautious.

France has already recorded its largest fire since 1949: one person died, and 25 were injured. In Italy, due to fires on the slopes of Vesuvius, tourist routes had to be closed, and in Spain, fire engulfed the regions of León, Zamora, and Galicia, forcing more than a thousand people to leave their homes.

Experts warn of a "Molotov cocktail" – a combination of extreme heat, abundant vegetation after a wet spring, winds, and lack of precipitation. These conditions make fires fast, large-scale, and practically uncontrollable.

Of particular concern is the situation in the Spanish province of El Bierzo, where the flames reached Las Médulas – a UNESCO World Heritage site with unique centuries-old chestnut trees.

We are facing a new reality where landscapes previously considered safe are now burning more intensely and dangerously 

Forecasters predict that temperatures in the region will remain extremely high in the coming days, and the risk of new fires will be maximal.

Recall

Strong fires in Castile and León, Spain, forced the evacuation of 1,650 residents, including from the UNESCO site of Las Médulas. The fire is spreading due to strong winds, and rescuers are working on five fronts.