France Fears Winds Will Fan Wildfires as Spain Gets Some Relief

Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.HomePMN BusinessFrance Fears Winds Will Fan Wildfires as Spain Gets Some ReliefFrance fears that shifting winds and rising temperatures could fan the flames of massive wildfires in the southwest, even as Spain experienced some relief from the blazes near Madrid.Author of the article:Sabrina Nelson Garcinuño and Alan Katz You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.5r97]37ac0nnm6g7c05z]}s(_media_dl_2.png European Forest Fire Information(Bloomberg) — France fears that shifting winds and rising temperatures could fan the flames of massive wildfires in the southwest, even as Spain experienced some relief from the blazes near Madrid.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountOn Tuesday, regional officials ordered the evacuation of about 4,000 people from campsites and other tourist accommodation in the town of Lacanau. The size of the fire and winds expected to change direction multiple times were among the concerns prompting the decision, said Lacanau Mayor Laurent Peyrondet.“We’re still facing very, very harsh weather conditions,” Peyrondet told reporters, as he explained the latest evacuation.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againThe fourth heat wave to engulf western Europe since the end of May will bring temperatures as high as 41C (106F) to southwest France on Wednesday. Wind speeds in Bordeaux are set to increase to 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) per hour with gusts twice as strong, according to Meteo-France.That risks turbocharging the fires that have ravaged villages and forests to the west and south of the city of Bordeaux, forcing the evacuation of more than 200,000 residents and tourists.“The situation remains complicated, obviously, we’re not in the clear yet,” the region’s prefect, Sophie Brocas, told reporters Tuesday evening. She also cited the wind as a complicating factor.The blaze in France’s Gironde department was characterized by a pyrocumulonimbus — an extremely powerful fire-generated thunderstorm, according to Francesca Di Giuseppe, fire forecast coordinator at the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts. Such events are well documented in Australia, Canada and the US, where they are associated with the most extreme wildfires, but they remain relatively rare in Europe, she said.Spain and France have been at the epicenter of Europe’s wildfire season, which came early this year and accelerated in recent weeks as successive heat waves baked vegetation, making easier for flames to spread rapidly. “We have entered an era of fires that cannot be extinguished,” said Víctor Resco de Dios, a professor of forestry engineering and global change at the University of Lleida. “These are fires that burn with the intensity of several atomic bombs and, as such, putting them out is extremely complex.”Temperatures in parts of Spain will also climb to 40C on Wednesday, further straining the emergency services, but there were signs of progress in containing the fires around Madrid.After the advance of active fire fronts was contained overnight, evacuation and shelter-in-place orders were lifted in several municipalities across the Community of Madrid and the province of Ávila on Tuesday afternoon. That allowed about 20,000 residents to return home and another 14,000 people to emerge from confinement.Still, most of Spain is under very high wildfire risk, according to meteorological agency Aemet. Wildfires have have so far burned over 170,000 hectares in Spain, six times more than in the year-earlier period.—With assistance from Eamon Akil Farhat.This advertisement has not loaded yet.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.