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Two people have died in a wildfire that swept through Spain‘s Catalonia region, as emergency services reported the blaze was largely contained despite warnings of further wind and thunderstorms.
Europe continues to grapple with a severe heatwave, exacerbating conditions for wildfires across the continent.
The inferno, which erupted in a farming area of Torrefeta on Tuesday afternoon, devastated several farms and scorched an area stretching approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles). Firefighters confirmed there were no other casualties from the incident.
Authorities are bracing for Wednesday, with forecasts indicating potential for strong winds and thunder, which could complicate containment efforts.
“The fire was extremely violent and erratic due to storms and strong winds, generating a convection cloud that complicated extinguishing efforts,” the fire service said in a statement.
A map of Torrefeta:
Authorities warned that more storms were expected on Wednesday afternoon and urged vigilance.
“Please exercise caution and follow all instructions and recommendations from the emergency services,” Catalonia’s regional leader Salvador Illa said in a post on X.
Around 14,000 residents were asked to remain indoors for several hours on Tuesday.
The wildfire comes as Europe faces an “exceptional” heatvawe, prompting heat alerts through the region.
Spain’s meteorological agency AEMET, which earlier this week reported its hottest June on record, issued warnings for high temperatures, storms and high winds across much of the Iberian Peninsula on Wednesday.
In France temperatures were forecast to reach 40C in the capital Paris. National weather agency Meteo-France placed several departments under the highest red alert. More than 1,300 schools were partially or fully closed.
People cool off with water from Varsovie fountain by the Eiffel Tower during a heatwave in Paris, France (EPA)
Visitors to the Eiffel Tower without tickets were told to postpone their visits as the summit was closed until Thursday for “everyone’s comfort and safety”.
Elsewhere, Swiss power company Axpo shut down one of its reactor units at its Beznau plant on Tuesday due to high river water temperatures while it left a second reactor running but with reduced power.
“Current measures will remain in place for the time being,” said the company in a statement.
Climate experts warn that future summers are likely to be hotter than any recorded to date, with temperatures exceeding 40C expected every year by 2100.