There are no signs that the heat that lies like a lid over Europe will diminish immediately. On Friday, Britain declared a state of national emergency due to the heat. In the city of Cambridge, it was measured over 38 degrees Celsius over the weekend, and at the beginning of next week it was announced that it could be over 40 degrees Celsius. The British Minister of Health has promised extra ambulance readiness on Monday and Tuesday. A person is trying to cool off in Hyde Park in London. Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP The heat wave must be taken seriously and can in the worst case lead to deaths in the UK, warns director of the College of Paramedics, Tracy Nicholls. – This is not a nice summer day where we can put on some sunscreen and go out and enjoy a swim or a meal outside. This is severe heat that can lead to death. “We are not prepared for that kind of heat in this country,” Nicholls told The Guardian. Evacuated due to forest fires Several thousand firefighters have been mobilized across Europe to try to control the many forest fires in the south. But the heat makes the job difficult. Helicopters fly around trying to control the flames. A pilot died after the water bomber he put in crashed. 12,000 people have been evacuated due to forest fires in the Gironde region of France. In France, uncontrolled fires are beginning to approach inhabited areas. A resident of Gironde tells the news agency AFP that it looks “post-apocalyptic”. Residents watch a forest fire in Eiriz in northern Portugal. Photo: PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP So far this year, forest fires in Portugal have destroyed more hectares than all forest fires combined in 2021. This year, forest fires and heat have come earlier than usual, after a dry and hot spring in several places in Europe. Several hundred dead In both Spain and Portugal, the authorities have reported that several hundred people have died from the heat. In Spain, where the temperature reached 45 degrees this week, the health institute Catlos III has reported that 360 people have died in the last six days as a result of the heat wave. Authorities have introduced flexitime for municipal employees after a street sweeper died of heatstroke in Madrid. Two people relax in a boat in the heat of Madrid, Spain. Photo: Paul White / AP In Portugal, the authorities say that the number of deaths is 238, and that it is mainly elderly people. Up to 42 degrees Celsius has been reported for the week in some parts of the country. Portuguese authorities declared a state of national emergency last week, and will decide today whether it will be extended. It came earlier than usual, and in Portugal the authorities have claimed that the forest fires have destroyed more hectares than the forest fires from last year combined. Earlier this month, a report came out announcing that Europe is heating up faster than most regions in the world. Today, the temperature in France is expected to reach 41 degrees in some parts of the country, where the animals are also affected by the heat.
ttn-69
Hundreds have died from the heat wave in Europe – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
