Heat wave adds to European wildfire struggle; Greece may be next
by Lisa Hornung · UPIJuly 29 (UPI) -- Wildfires in Spain and France have begun to stabilize, but the threat still looms as a heat wave lands in the area.
Temperatures of up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit were expected Wednesday in France, which makes controlling the flames more challenging and adds an extra burden on firefighters. Spain expects similar temperatures.
"The fire is like David against Goliath," said Eric Brocardi, spokesperson of France's national firefighters' federation.
Four French firefighters have died in recent weeks, and 2,000 have been sent to the Gironde region, which has been devastated by fires between the coast and Bordeaux.
Some evacuation orders have been lifted in Spain, letting about 44,000 people go back home if they can.
"The situation continues to evolve favorably, while exercising the utmost prudence, the utmost caution, and every possible preventive measure, but it remains favorable," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told reporters Wednesday.
Spanish firefighters are focused on containing the wildfires and cooling down burned areas to prevent flare-ups, he added.
There were 10 active wildfires in Spain, Sánchez said.
In Portugal, 400 firefighters were working on a large fire in the northeastern Guarda area.
Maria Zuber, head of the European Union Emergency Response Coordination Center, said countries further east could be next.
"The next risk, it's already moving to Greece and also Central Europe," Zuber told reporters Wednesday, CNN reported.
"Greece for the moment was spared, and now we see that it will go to Greece. Italy will face risk at the beginning of August, and we will need to see what will happen with the Iberian Peninsula, because if [it is] there as well, we will have all Europe on fire," she said.
She added that the E.U. has sent some aircraft to Greece to prepare for fires.
Bordeaux isn't under threat for now, officials have said, though one fire is only 9 miles from the edge of the city.
Commander Rémi Lassoureille, who is leading the firefighting in the Gironde region, is still concerned.
"We are frightened about the impact on Bordeaux and the metropolitan area," he said.
"By Sunday evening everything had really begun to empty out," a vacationer from Essex told the BBC. The person said the air was "really smoky" with bits of ash. "People were staying indoors, so it was eerie, and very sad."