Korea is steaming hot, but Europe is also boiling. A heat wave of over 40 degrees was also difficult, but it also overlapped with forest fires. It is said that this kind of sweltering heat, which has never been experienced before, is no longer a daily routine in Europe.
Correspondent Lee Geun-pyung.
[기자]
The flames burn mountains with ferocious momentum.
Firefighters fight the wildfire, but it’s not enough.
The village that was swept away by the fire became a wasteland.
A forest fire in the Gironde area in southwestern France devastated 73 square kilometers of land.
Wildfires also continued in southern Europe.
In Malaga, southern Spain, dozens of wildfires spread at the same time, evacuating 2,300 people.
[호세 루에다/스페인 말라가 주민 : 갖고 있는 재산이라고는 집뿐이었는데, 급히 대피하면서 개와 고양이만 겨우 데리고 나왔습니다.]
There have also been over 20 major wildfires across Portugal this summer.
These wildfires have nothing to do with heatwaves.
The hot, dry weather caused by the sweltering heat is fueling the fire.
The temperature in Spain has recently soared to 45 degrees, and some are predicting that it will soon surpass the highest level recorded in August last year of 47 degrees.
In some regions, Portugal has a record-high temperature of 46 degrees Celsius.
At least 281 people have died in recent heatwaves in Portugal and Spain, the BBC reported.
England, which is relatively cool in summer due to its high latitude, is no exception.
[한나 클로크/기후 전문가 : 우리는 매우 불행한 상황에 처해 있습니다. 이런 유형의 무더위가 더 자주 찾아오고, 더 강해질 것이라는 것을 알고 있기 때문입니다.]
The UK Meteorological Agency predicts that temperatures currently approaching 35 degrees Celsius might rise above 40 degrees next week.
A heat wave warning has been issued in some areas, including London, at the highest level of a national emergency.
A drought followed by a heat wave is also a problem.
The Po River, the longest river in Italy, has been hit by the worst drought in 70 years.