Star Metro - Latest developments: Europe battles wildfires

Europe is the fastest-warming continent and, in some places, ill-equipped to deal with hot weather. Scientists blame ever hotter and more frequent heatwaves on human-caused climate change.

What has become a historically hot summer of wildfires has contributed to the deaths of thousands of people.

Friday is expected to see some 150 million Europeans -- particularly in France, Germany, Spain and Italy -- experience temperatures over 35C, according to AFP calculations.

And temperatures of over 30C are set to affect some 350 million residents, accounting for three in five people in Europe (excluding Turkey), an AFP analysis of German weather service and Joint Research Centre population data found.

- France -

France, which has already suffered a series of major fires this season, saw another start in the southwest that forced more than 500 people to flee, officials said Friday.

The blaze has already burned 1,100 hectares (about 2,700 acres) in the department of Landes, approaching the village of Luglon.

Fire chief Arnaud Fabre said the fire was slowing down but he added he was concerned about potential flare-ups with temperatures of up to 36C expected locally.

This latest fire came as much of the country is gripped by a heatwave.

- Germany -

A wildfire in western Germany forced around 1,800 people to leave their homes overnight, officials said, with helicopters and army equipment deployed to help battle the flames.

A district of the town of Huertgenwald near the Belgian and Dutch borders was evacuated after the blaze expanded from 25 hectares (around 60 acres) to 300 hectares by Friday morning.

Southwestern Germany has been hard-hit by high temperatures and low rainfall this summer, which has dried out farmland and seen river levels drop.

- Britain -

British firefighters were "under significant pressure" as multiple wildfires spread at a time of soaring temperatures and drought conditions, the head of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) said.

In the town of Stourbridge in central England, images showed scorched fields and burnt out homes on Thursday, the UK's hottest day of the year so far.

Three firefighters were also hospitalised fighting that blaze southwest of Birmingham.

- Croatia -

Croatian firefighters were tackling "one of the worst" wildfires in the country's history, fire chief Slavko Tucakovic said, as flames engulfed homes and injured 19 people on the coast.

At least 1,000 people displaced by the fire were moved into a local sports hall in Omis, south of Split, local officials said.

Tucakovic called in firefighting teams from other parts of the country to reinforce crews already at the scene, while four Canadair water-bombing aircraft were on standby to assist operations.

The aircraft helped bring another fire on the island of Brac, near Split, under control on Thursday.

- Greece -

A fleet of small boats evacuated about 500 tourists from beaches in northern Greece as a forest fire threatened two popular resorts on Thursday.

Hundreds of firefighters, two of whom were injured, supported by water-bombing aircraft spent hours fighting the flames, preventing them from spreading across the Halkidiki peninsula, south of the city of Thessaloniki.

Wearing bathing costumes and many carrying children, the tourists were moved to nearby beaches, while about 200 were taken to a ship waiting at sea, officials and public broadcaster ERT said.

burs-giv/jj

L.Pelletier--SMC