Spain issues high alert in heatwave-hit areas
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Parts of western Europe suffer another heatwave linked to the forest fires in Spain and Portugal, and many areas in Spain were put on high alert.
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A resident tries to stop a forest fire from reaching houses in the village of Figueiras, central Portugal, Tuesday, July 12, 2022 (AP)
As parts of western Europe suffer the second heatwave in weeks, many areas of Spain were put on high alert Wednesday as temperatures are set to rise again.
Temperatures were set to reach 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit) in some areas of Spain, and are expected to last until Sunday.
France and Portugal were also struck this week by heatwaves, which led to forest fires in both countries.
Aemet, the state meteorological agency in Spain, said some areas were "suffocating", especially Andalusia in the south, which is the worst to be affected, in addition to Extremadura in the southwest, and Galicia in the northwest.
Those areas were put on high alert, where residents were alerted to be attentive to the weather forecast and were advised not to travel "unless strictly necessary".
All other regions of Spain were put on lower levels of alert because of the heat, except for the Canary Islands.
Heatwaves linked to forest fires, climate change
The heat was associated with the forest fires that have already burned 3,500 hectares (8,600 acres) at least in western Spain, near the border with Portugal.
Officials in Portugal reported the death of one person in the forest fires after they found a body in a burned area in the northern region of Aveiro.
A fire in the northwest of Madrid caused nearly 500 residents to be temporarily evacuated; firefighters battled to control the fire on Wednesday, as per the regional emergency services.
Climate change led heatwaves to become more frequent, scientists say. While global temperatures are rising, they are expected to become even more intense.
Spain has already suffered from drought this year; water reserves are at just 44% of their total capacity, compared to an average of 65% over the same period over the past 10 years.
The hottest temperature ever recorded in Spain was 47.4 Celsius in August last year.
