France is in the grip of wildfires. The area close to the French Riviera faced the fury of the fires. Firefighters evacuated tourists in campsites from the west of Saint-Tropez. For many of them, it was a hurried exit within a few minutes. Some of them suffered smoke inhalation, while a few firefighters were hurt. It seems tourists fled the place on foot as fires closed in from all directions. Wildfires of this nature spread fast and destroy anything in the path.
BBC says officials confirmed that the blaze started on Monday and burned down nearly 14,820 acres.
An intense heatwave in France led to temperatures in the region of 35C. That might have been the starting point of the wildfires. President Emmanuel Macron who was holidaying in the area went to visit the firefighters trying to control the fires. Incidentally, Southern France in Europe witnessed record-breaking temperatures around the Mediterranean. These ended up as wildfires that devastated the region and destroyed the all-important green cover. In such cases, wildlife lose their habitat and travel options reduce. Western US is tackling at least 80 active wildfires right now.
Europe has to tackle wildfires that claim lives and destroy homes
Scientists blame climate change driven by human-induced carbon emissions for the heatwaves.
These aggravate the situation and increase the frequency of heatwaves. Countries like Greece, Turkey, Spain and Portugal are feeling the adverse effect. They are trying to come to terms with the wildfires that have destroyed homes. BBC goes on to say the blaze in southern France originated about 30 miles west of Saint-Tropez.
It destroyed thousands of acres of forest and scrubland. These damage the environment and the region loses its ecological stability. Firefighters had to help douse the flames and evacuate people from the danger zones. The fires, fanned by strong winds, spread fast. It was possible to clear the tourists but the fire destroyed some of the campsites.
People ran for shelter to escape the fury of wildfires
Tourists and residents ran for shelter to nearby town halls, colleges and gyms to escape from the wildfires. These disasters do not spare anybody. BBC adds that in southern Portugal firefighters struggled to bring under control a fire that led to evacuation of people in the Algarve region. These fires are against the background of a report of the UN related to global warming and extreme weather events. These include flash floods that have hit parts of Europe. In Germany, a wooden bridge collapsed. In Austria, flash floods and mudslides triggered by a storm left people stranded. In Italy, floodwater swept away cars and uprooted trees.
France takes aerial support to battle the wildfires
According to France 24, firefighters are taking aerial support to battle the wildfires in the southern region of Var. An official of the fire service confirmed there are no victims and added the blaze was "still very fierce." The fire started at a motorway stop about 60 miles from the port city of Toulon. Climate scientists cautioned that these would increase because of man-made global warming. Last year, a fire destroyed a large area in a popular tourist region west of Marseille and evacuation of tourists was by sea.
