The Mediterranean region witnessed huge wildfires last week as extreme heat gripped Europe and North Africa. Thousands of people in Portugal, Spain, France and Morocco have been evacuated from their homes as wildfires raged out of control.
On July 15, firefighters and the military struggled to contain three wildfires in the North African country of Morocco.
Meanwhile, authorities across Southern Europe are battling huge wildfires.
In northern Portugal, a pilot died when his waterbombing plane crashed near the Spanish border. Over 12,000 people have been evacuated as fires scorched pine forests in France’s Bordeaux region In Spain, more than 20 fires have blazed out of control.
What is causing the wildfires?
While summer wildfires are natural, the fire season has hit parts of Europe earlier than usual this year after an unusually dry and hot spring that left the soil parched.
Scientists say heatwaves have become more frequent, more intense, and last longer because of human-induced climate change. Temperatures have hit record-high of 45 degrees Celsius in many countries.
