Wildfires Rage Across Southern Europe as Climate Alarm Sounded
News 18Emergency services battled wildfires across swathes of southern Europe amid mass evacuations on Wednesday, as warnings sounded in London after Britain’s hottest day that the fight against climate change needed to be stepped up. Portugal’s northern region’s Civil Protection commander Armando Silva said rising temperatures and strong winds would make it harder to fight the country’s largest wildfire, which has burned 10,000-12,000 hectares since Sunday in and around the municipality of Murça. Treasury Minister Simon Clarke said Tuesday’s “remarkable, unprecedented” record served as “a reminder … of the importance of tackling climate change.” British engineers raced on Wednesday to fix train tracks that had buckled in the heat after firefighters, who in London endured their busiest day since World War Two on Tuesday, worked through the night to damp down wildfires. President Emmanuel Macron was due to visit the Gironde region on Wednesday as local authorities said improved weather conditions as France’s heatwave moved east were helping the battle to contain the flames.