PARIS: Southern France saw a rattling wildfire after a stifling heatwave bought a record-breaking temperature in parts of Europe killing at least six people. The Gard region which felt the heatwave as it registered the highest ever temperature in its history at 45.9°C, face the worst effect of wildfire which burned some 550 hectares of land and destroyed several houses and vehicles.
Didier Lauga, prefect of the Gard, told reporters, “We came very close to a disaster and there are still firefighters in place in case fires break out again.”
A psychologically unstable man was arrested after starting a blaze in one village, but the extreme heat was likely to blame for many of the fires, Lauga added. In the neighbouring Vaucluse region, authorities said a man who had been cycling in a mountainous area collapsed and died due to the heat.
Though it is expected that in coming days the heatwave will go easy on people living in southern region of France, whereas, the northern part is yet to experience its hottest day of the heatwave with an expected temperature of 37-38°C.
The World Meteorological Organisation said this week that 2019 was on track to be among the world’s hottest years, and 2015-2019 would then be the hottest five-year period on record.
The organisation also said that the European heatwave was ‘absolutely consistent’ with extremes linked to the impact of greenhouse gas emissions.
Britain too faced its hottest day of the year so far with temperature reaching up to 35°C.
Other European countries like Spain, registered unusually high temperature for four consecutive days.
The temperature gauge’s installed at meteorological station between the Catalan towns of Vinebre and Masroig in northeastern Spain which are close to an area hit by wildfires recorded max temperature of 43.3°C.
The National Meteorological Agency of Spain placed 40 out of 50 regions in Spain on weather alert for extreme heat and natural wildfires.
On June 28, two persons were reported to have died due to incessant heat related complications.
The Catalan government said, new blazes started on June 29, in southern and central areas, though firefighters managed to contain 90 per cent of the wildfires that raged across 60 sq km in the northeastern Tarragona province.