European wildfires rage on; Some French evacuees allowed home

Eighty-four thousand residents of southern France returned home Thursday morning after a large wildfire forced them to evacuate earlier this week. The flames burned a 162-square-mile area in the Bordeaux wine region, while fires continued to rage in Spain and elsewhere in Europe. Over a third of last week’s French evacuees were allowed to return after firefighters contained the blaze, streaming to their homes in southwest France.

Officials encouraged those returning to keep their phones on and to keep bags packed in case the fires flare up again. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that they mobilized thousands of firefighters alongside police officers and aerial groups. Nuñez reported earlier that police have arrested 184 individuals suspected of arson since summer began. Police also apprehended at least one arsonist connected to the most recent fires, he added.

Aren’t there other wildfires in Europe? The record heat wave sweeping the continent coincided with almost 6,000 more deaths in France than would have been expected from June 17 to July 2, according to Santé Publique France, the country’s national health agency. The temperature spike created perfect conditions for wildfires to spark in different locations. Several fires have consumed hundreds of square miles across Spain, Greece, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Turkey. The fires triggered over 100,000 people to evacuate in Spain, and over 200,000 to flee in France. Three firefighters died fighting a blaze in Greece on the island of Crete, according to the Associated Press.

What about other wildfires this summer? A hot, dry summer triggered large wildfires in southern Canada, specifically southern portions of Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia near the U.S. border. The United States also reported fires over 4.5 million acres across the country since January, exceeding 10-year averages, the National Interagency Fire Center reported Thursday. Firefighters continued working to contain 85 large fires across the country, with nine new incidents reported since Wednesday, the report added. Wildfire nonprofit American Forests reported nearly 630 active wildfires, with the majority in the West, stretching from northern Washington down to southern Arizona.