- Hundreds of firefighters on Tuesday battled a wildfire that has burned for four days in southern Portugal, which like neighbouring Spain is sweltering in a heatwave that has triggered widespread weather alerts. The Iberian Peninsula is bearing the brunt of climate change in Europe, witnessing increasingly intense heatwaves, droughts and wildfires. The temperature rose to 46.4 degrees Celsius (115.5 Fahrenheit) in Santarem, central Portugal, on Monday, a record for 2023 according to provisional data from the meteorological office. More than 1,000 firefighters backed by 10 water-bomber planes were battling a blaze that has already burned thousands of hectares near Odemira, southwestern Portugal, not far from the tourist hub of the Algarve. Nearly 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) have been blackened since Saturday, Vitor Vaz Pinto of the civil protection agency said, adding that the blaze was still spreading "on two fronts". Local media reported that one home as well as a rural tourist lodging had been destroyed, which had not yet been confirmed by authorities. Nearly 1,500 people, residents as well as tourists, have been evacuated from the area. "It was terrible, there were flames everywhere and we had to scramble. Nobody was there to help us, thankfully I had three friends who came to help," Ana Costa, a farmer in the region, told AFP. Around 40 people, including 28 fire officers, have been given emergency medical treatment. - Heatwave alerts - A separate wildfire that has already destroyed around 7,000 hectares (17,300 acres) in Leiria, central Portugal, calmed somewhat overnight on Monday. Across the country, nearly 2,800 firefighters and 16 water-bombers were in action on Tuesday. Weather warnings remained in place in both Portugal and Spain. Much of the southern half of Spain was on orange alert on Tuesday, with the weather service saying temperatures were expected to top 44C on Tuesday and Wednesday, which are predicted to be the fiercest days of this heatwave, the third in the country this year. The Spanish met office (AEMET) issued maximum red alerts for parts of Andalusia in the south, the Madrid region in the centre and the Basque Country in the far north. More than 1,000 hectares of land were destroyed by flames in Spain over the weekend. A fourth large wildfire broke out on Monday in Estremadura, central Spain, near the border with Portugal. Firefighters were unable to contain it overnight. In total, wildfires have destroyed 100,000 hectares of land across the Iberian Peninsula this year, according to preliminary estimates. This is on top of the record 400,000 hectares destroyed last year.
The Iberian Peninsula is bearing the brunt of climate change in Europe, witnessing increasingly intense heatwaves, droughts and wildfires.
The temperature rose to 46.4 degrees Celsius (115.5 Fahrenheit) in Santarem, central Portugal, on Monday, a record for 2023 according to provisional data from the meteorological office.
More than 1,000 firefighters backed by 10 water-bomber planes were battling a blaze that has already burned thousands of hectares near Odemira, southwestern Portugal, not far from the tourist hub of the Algarve.
Nearly 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) have been blackened since Saturday, Vitor Vaz Pinto of the civil protection agency said, adding that the blaze was still spreading "on two fronts".
Local media reported that one home as well as a rural tourist lodging had been destroyed, which had not yet been confirmed by authorities.
Nearly 1,500 people, residents as well as tourists, have been evacuated from the area.
"It was terrible, there were flames everywhere and we had to scramble. Nobody was there to help us, thankfully I had three friends who came to help," Ana Costa, a farmer in the region, told AFP.
Around 40 people, including 28 fire officers, have been given emergency medical treatment.
- Heatwave alerts -
A separate wildfire that has already destroyed around 7,000 hectares (17,300 acres) in Leiria, central Portugal, calmed somewhat overnight on Monday.
Across the country, nearly 2,800 firefighters and 16 water-bombers were in action on Tuesday.
Weather warnings remained in place in both Portugal and Spain.
Much of the southern half of Spain was on orange alert on Tuesday, with the weather service saying temperatures were expected to top 44C on Tuesday and Wednesday, which are predicted to be the fiercest days of this heatwave, the third in the country this year.
The Spanish met office (AEMET) issued maximum red alerts for parts of Andalusia in the south, the Madrid region in the centre and the Basque Country in the far north.
More than 1,000 hectares of land were destroyed by flames in Spain over the weekend.
A fourth large wildfire broke out on Monday in Estremadura, central Spain, near the border with Portugal. Firefighters were unable to contain it overnight.
In total, wildfires have destroyed 100,000 hectares of land across the Iberian Peninsula this year, according to preliminary estimates. This is on top of the record 400,000 hectares destroyed last year.
Resumen:
En el sur de Portugal, los bomberos luchan contra un incendio forestal que comenzó hace cuatro días y se ha propagado por más de 10.000 hectáreas. Esto ocurre debido a la ola de calor que está experimentando la Península Ibérica como resultado del cambio climático. La temperatura alcanzó los 46,4 grados Celsius en Santarén, lo que supone un récord para el año 202
3. Más de 1.000 bomberos y 10 aviones de bombeo de agua están combatiendo el fuego, que ha destruido una casa y un alojamiento turístico rural. Más de 1.500 personas, incluyendo residentes y turistas, han sido evacuadas de la zona. Los incendios forestales en España y Portugal se han vuelto más intensos durante los últimos 25 años, debido al aumento de las temperaturas. El medio sur de España se encuentra en alerta naranja, con temperaturas que se esperan alcancen los 47 grados en algunas áreas.
Si te importan las cosas de defensa: Estos incendios forestales son una amenaza para la seguridad de la Península Ibérica debido a la ola de calor que está ocasionando el cambio climático. Los incendios forestales en España y Portugal se han vuelto más intensos durante los últimos 25 años, afectando la seguridad nacional.
Si te gustan las noticias de dinero y empresas: Estos incendios forestales tienen un impacto económico en los países de la Península Ibérica. El fuego ha destruido una casa y un alojamiento turístico rural, lo que significa una pérdida de ingresos para los propietarios. La evacuación de 1.500 personas ha causado una pérdida económica para el turismo en la región.
Si solo quieres saber de negocios en general: Estos incendios forestales afectan el negocio y la economía de la Península Ibérica. Los turistas están siendo evacuados, lo que significa que los propietarios de alojamientos turísticos están perdiendo dinero. La ola de calor también ha llevado a un aumento de los incendios forestales en los últimos 25 años, lo que significa una mayor inversión en recursos para combatirlos.
Comparación con los últimos 25 años: En los últimos 25 años, el cambio climático ha afectado la Península Ibérica, llevando a un aumento de las temperaturas y de los incendios forestales. Esto ha causado una mayor inversión en recursos de defensa para combatir los incendios forestales. Además, el aumento de la temperatura ha provocado una disminución de la energía disponible para los sistemas de defensa.
Preguntas:
¿Qué medidas se están tomando para combatir los incendios forestales?¿Cuáles son los efectos económicos de los incendios forestales?¿Cómo afecta el cambio climático a la seguridad nacional?¿Qué otros factores contribuyen a la propagación de los incendios forestales?¿Cuáles son las consecuencias a largo plazo de la ola de calor en la Península Ibérica?