On Sunday, July 17, authorities across southern Europe fought to contain massive flames in nations including Spain, Greece, and France. Hundreds of fatalities were attributed to the high temperatures, which scientists say are consistent with climate change.
It was particularly difficult for firefighters in Spain to do their jobs because of high temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius and often mountainous terrain, which made the job more difficult.
Residents of the central western Jerte valley said they were shocked to see thick plumes of smoke rising over their home, which they said was previously green, cool, and quiet, but is now becoming like Spain's semi-arid south due to the heat.
"Climate change affects everyone," resident Miguel Angel Tamayo said.
According to a study that was published in June in the journal Environmental Research: Climate, it is very likely that heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change.
The heatwave in Portugal and Spain is thought to be responsible for at least 1,000 deaths thus far. Spain has experienced heatwave conditions that have risen as high as 45.7 degrees Celsius.
The weather service in Spain has issued temperature warnings for Sunday, with highs of 42 degrees Celsius predicted for northern Aragon, Navarra, and La Rioja. However, it issued a warning that temperatures would continue to be "abnormally high" after the heatwave ended on Monday.
On Sunday afternoon, fires were blazing in a number of other parts of Spain, including Galicia in the north and Castille and Leon in the center. Wildfires burned through the night in the southern Spanish province of Malaga, hurting locals close to the popular tourist destination of Mijas.
On Saturday morning, pensioners William McCurdy and Ellen McCurdy left their home for safety along with other evacuees in a local sports center as a fire approached their home.
"It was very fast ... I didn't take it too seriously. I thought they had it under control and I was quite surprised when it seemed to be moving in our direction," William, 68, told Reuters.
"We just grabbed a few essentials and just ran and by that stage, everybody along the street was on the move," Ellen said.
More than 14,000 people have been evacuated as a result of the wildfires in France's Gironde region, which have already extended over 11,000ha, regional authorities reported on Sunday afternoon.
There were more than 1,200 firefighters involved in the efforts to control the blazes, the authorities said in a statement.
