Major wildfires have swept through parts of the United States and Europe over the past two weeks, forcing thousands of people to evacuate and stretching emergency services. Washington state has become the latest hotspot, while Greece, France and Spain continue to deal with the aftermath of destructive blazes.
Washington declares emergency as fires spread across state
Washington became the latest major wildfire hotspot after Governor Bob Ferguson declared a statewide emergency and imposed a statewide burn ban on August 2.
Wildfires burning across more than 250,000 acres prompted evacuations and power outages, particularly around Spokane, reported Reuters. About 4,000 firefighters were deployed to battle more than a dozen active fires across the state.
The biggest concern was the Old Trails Fire near Spokane. Washington State forester George Geissler said the blaze had spread across about 3,000 acres and threatened nearly 4,000 structures, reported Reuters. Mayor Lisa Brown said several key facilities, including a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital, water reclamation facilities and a waste-energy plant, had been evacuated.
Around 200 homes had already been evacuated by Saturday afternoon, although officials expected that number to rise. About 60,000 customers lost electricity after utility company Avista carried out emergency power shut-offs, reported Reuters.
“Our state is facing a very serious situation with multiple fires,” Governor Ferguson said, adding that high temperatures and strong winds would make firefighting more challenging over the weekend.
Washington Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove said about 450,000 acres had burned across the state so far this summer. “This is not normal. Throughout the state of Washington we’re seeing fires raging,” he said, according to Reuters.
Greece battles fresh blazes as fire danger rises again
While Washington dealt with its latest emergency, Greece once again found itself battling fast-moving wildfires.
Gale-force winds fuelled multiple fires across the country, with one of the most serious blazes burning near Porto Germeno, northwest of Athens, reported AP. Firefighters, police officers and emergency medical teams were forced to withdraw temporarily as flames and thick smoke spread rapidly through forests and shrubland.
Authorities ordered evacuations in several communities, including Agia Paraskevi, Kryo Pigadi and Agios Nektarios. Earlier in the day, over 200 people from Agios Vasileios were evacuated by sea. “The situation is extremely hard, especially today. We have really strong winds,” first responder Giorgos Doulas told AP.
Officials also warned that parts of Boeotia, Attica and Evia faced an extreme wildfire risk heading into Sunday.
France continues firefighting as major fires reignite
France has endured one of its worst wildfire periods in recent years. The massive wildfire near Bordeaux scorched an area roughly four times the size of Paris before authorities managed to contain its spread, reported AP. The blaze forced about 224,000 people to evacuate, making it one of the country’s largest peacetime evacuation operations in recent history.
Although the Gironde fire remained contained, officials warned it was not fully extinguished because high temperatures and strong winds could reignite hotspots.
At the same time, another wildfire in the southeastern Var department flared up again after earlier being brought under control. Nearly 2,500 people had to evacuate overnight as firefighters worked to stop flames from reaching nearby communities.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said most major fires were under control but warned that conditions remained highly unpredictable. More than 1,170 square kilometres had burned across France since the beginning of the year, reported AP.
Spain’s wildfire battle
Spain also experienced several destructive wildfires during the second half of July. The country declared an end to its national wildfire emergency two days before fresh fires broke out again in the northern province of Leon, reported AP.
Authorities said conditions improved in neighbouring Zamora, allowing 14 evacuated towns to reopen after a fire that burned around 11,000 hectares. In eastern Spain, firefighters stabilised the Vall d’Uixo wildfire after it burned nearly 10,000 hectares over seven days, allowing residents to return home. Police said investigators suspected arson after finding two separate ignition points.
Major fires that burned more than 70,000 hectares across the Madrid and Avila regions were also stabilised, while firefighters extinguished a new outbreak near the San Juan reservoir west of Madrid on Saturday.