On Friday, firefighters from across Europe rushed to France’s aid to fight a massive wildfire, while fires raged in Portugal and parts of England faced severe drought, as successive heatwaves heightened awareness of climate change risks.
Much of Europe has been subjected to weeks of baking temperatures, which have depleted water levels in Germany’s Rhine River and caused the source of Britain’s River Thames to dry up further downstream than in previous years.
High temperatures and a worsening drought posed a high risk of new fires igniting in Gironde, in southwestern France, according to local officials, even after an overnight respite kept a wildfire that had been burning for days, scorched thousands of hectares, and displaced 10,000 people in check.
Firefighters from Germany, Romania, Greece, and other countries were on the ground to assist France in battling the fire in the Bordeaux wine region, as well as on other fronts, including Brittany in the northwest.
‘It doesn’t matter what country it is, we are firefighters and we are here to help,’ said Cristian Buhaianu, chief Romanian firefighter in Gironde.
Stephanie Martin, the French commandant, welcomed their assistance in an area that had already been battling a massive fire for weeks last month. ‘After a month of fighting, our firefighters are exhausted. It is a tremendous help to us, allowing us to concentrate on the other operation ‘She stated.
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