Forest fires affecting many countries as the mercury carries on rising
With the UK set to enjoy some of its hottest-ever weather, large parts of Europe are currently being affected by soaring temperatures.
In Portugal, at least 11 people are known to have died as a result of the heat and the huge fires that are affecting parts of the country. There are still concerns that some of the blazes could cross the border into the Extremadura region of Spain, which is also experiencing soaring temperatures.
France and Germany have also seen near-record temperatures; visitors have been banned from forests in the eastern Brandenburg region of Germany due to a high fire risk, while firefighters in France have been struggling to contain a blaze in a forest in the Gorges du Tarn.
Further north, in Poland, where temperatures have not been quite so extreme, a quarter of the country’s forests are being placed on a high fire risk.
And further afield, in Canada, the states of Alberta and British Colombia are experiencing their worst forest fires in more than 50 years; 500 people were yesterday evacuated from the blaze-affected resort of Maligne Lake.
