Wildfires rage in southern Europe as temperatures exceed 40°C

Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Turkey are battling a wave of dangerous wildfires fueled by an exceptionally dry and hot summer. In parts of the region, temperatures exceed 40°C, and prolonged heat waves are contributing to the emergence of dangerous phenomena such as fire whirls.

How serious is the situation?

Several countries have already reported the first fatalities caused by wildfires and extreme heat. Near Madrid, a worker died after being trapped in a burning stable. In Montenegro, a soldier lost his life while taking part in firefighting efforts. High temperatures can also cause fatal heatstroke – according to the BBC, two children in Romania and Italy died as a result of heatstroke.

We are being cooked alive, said Alexandre Favaios, mayor of the Portuguese town of Vila Real, in a dramatic description of the situation. Portugal has been particularly hard hit by wildfires this year, with blazes affecting 0.6 percent of the country’s territory. According to Reuters, this is five times the average recorded in previous years.

Firefighters on high alert

The number of casualties could have been much higher without the swift response of emergency services. According to Euronews, in Portugal, 650 firefighters, supported by 226 fire trucks and six helicopters, battled the country’s three largest fires on Monday. Meanwhile, El País reports that in several Spanish regions, more than a thousand firefighters took part in firefighting operations.

The authorities are not only extinguishing fires but also evacuating residents. In many places, blazes start in forests but quickly spread to built-up areas. This was the case near Madrid, where hundreds of people were evacuated. About 800 residents of Spain’s Castile region and 2,000 people in Turkey’s Çanakkale region also had to leave their homes.

Fire whirls – a dangerous phenomenon

Fire whirls are rare but extremely dangerous phenomena that occur during intense wildfires. They form when strong convective currents combine with wind, giving a column of flames a rotating motion. Under favorable conditions, they can reach great heights and high speeds. One such event was observed in Portugal, near the town of Alvite.

Paulo Narciso of the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere explains the phenomenon:

In the case of forest fires, conditions for the formation of fire whirls are favorable due to extreme heating and temperatures reaching thousands of degrees. Temperature differences cause the development of upward air currents in places where there is a sudden change in wind direction.

Fire whirls pose a particular threat to their surroundings. Although they usually last from several dozen seconds to a few minutes, during that time they can move very quickly and produce large amounts of smoke. Strong rotational movement draws in air from outside, intensifying the flames and promoting further spread of the fire, experts from the U.S. National Weather Service point out.

When will the fires end? The latest forecasts for Europe

According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), fire danger in southern European countries remains very high due to persistently high temperatures. Long-term forecasts do not indicate an imminent improvement. In the coming week, temperatures are expected to be above the long-term average, while rainfall will be significantly below normal. Elevated temperatures are forecast at least until mid-September. A slightly optimistic sign is the expected stabilization of precipitation totals – no significant anomalies are forecast for the final weeks of August.