Forest fires rage in Europe scorching southwest

MADRID: On Sunday, firefighters struggled to put out wildfires raging across southwest Europe as a heatwave continued to rage, with Britain poised to set new temperature records this week.

Since last week, wildfires in France, Greece, Portugal, and Spain have destroyed thousands of hectares of land, displaced thousands of people, and killed several emergency personnel.

It's the second heatwave to hit parts of southwest Europe in recent weeks. Scientists blame climate change and predict that extreme weather events such as heatwaves and droughts will become more frequent and intense.

Firefighters in the Gironde area of southwest France are battling to contain two forest fires that have burned through about 11,000 hectares (27,000 acres) of land since Tuesday.

More than 14,000 people, including locals and visitors, have had to leave their campsites due to the wildfires. To accommodate evacuees, seven emergency shelters have been established.