Spain: Wildfires linked to extreme heat continued to cause damage in France and Spain on Tuesday, with hundreds of firefighters deployed near Paris and authorities in southern Spain identifying more victims of a deadly blaze.
In France, two forest fires in the Fontainebleau forest south of Paris have burned nearly 2,000 hectares and forced the evacuation of 1,000 people, according to local authorities. No deaths or injuries have been reported.
Hundreds of firefighters continued battling the blazes, which are considered especially serious because of their proximity to the densely populated Paris region. Water-dropping aircraft repeatedly collected water from the Seine River to fight the fires. The regional fire chief said it was the first time such aircraft had been used to combat fires in the Paris region.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told BFM television that two people had been arrested in connection with the Fontainebleau fires, while two others had been arrested over separate fires elsewhere in France. He did not provide further details. France’s third heat wave of the year is beginning to ease, with red heat-wave alerts expected to be lifted from Wednesday, although thunderstorm warnings remain in several regions.
In Spain, judicial authorities said 10 of the 13 people killed in the Los Gallardos fire have been identified through biological samples. The victims included five British citizens, three Belgian nationals, a French woman and a Spanish national. Ten people remain unaccounted for.
The Los Gallardos fire burned about 70 square kilometres of forest and farmland. Authorities said extreme heat, strong winds and a lack of rainfall continue to create conditions that allow small wildfires to spread rapidly.
The latest fires have again highlighted the growing threat posed by persistent hot and dry conditions across parts of Europe.
