Europe Scorches Under Record Heat as Wildfires Rage in France and England

Firefighters in France and central England are battling multiple wildfires as a new wave of record-breaking heat continues to grip large parts of Europe. The exceptionally dry conditions are making the task significantly harder.

In France, which is experiencing its driest year on record, a new fire tore through woodlands overnight in the Landes region on the southwest coast. The blaze forced more than 500 residents to evacuate the town of Luglon, with hundreds of firefighters deployed to the area, according to regional authorities.

The Landes fire is just one of several burning across the country this week, including in typically cooler and wetter regions such as Brittany and the north. Last month, a historic fire near Bordeaux destroyed vast forest areas and displaced a quarter of a million people.

In the United Kingdom, after the country recorded its hottest day of the year, wildfires swept through the West Midlands, burning several houses to the ground. Chief Fire Officer Simon Tuhill described the incident as "one of the most significant" his service has ever handled. Data from the National Fire Chiefs Council shows that 1,017 wildfires have been recorded in England and Wales so far this year.

The UK heat peaked at 38.1 degrees Celsius (100.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in west London. In France, temperatures approached 41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit) in several areas on Thursday, from Aquitaine in the southwest to the Rhone River valley in the east. Similar highs were forecast for Friday before a slight drop over the weekend.

These extreme temperatures are linked to human-caused climate change, and they are hitting countries more accustomed to long cold seasons and ill-equipped for such heat, with limited air conditioning.

Meanwhile, in northern Greece, more than 300 vacationers and residents were evacuated by sea on Thursday after a wildfire swept through a pine forest and threatened seaside homes.