Dozens of wildfires have broken out across Portugal, Spain, France, and other Southern European countries amid a deadly heat wave. Record-breaking high temperatures and dry conditions have contributed to the outbreaks, forcing tens of thousands of residents and tourists to be evacuated. Thousands of firefighters are still working on the ground and in the air to contain multiple fires. Temperatures are predicted to drop slightly this week as the hot air mass moves north, but tinder-dry conditions remain across much of Southern Europe.
Wildfires Rage Across Southwestern Europe
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![A fire burns in a forest at night, illuminating tall trees from below.]()
Read moreA fire burns in a forest in Louchats, in southwestern France, on July 17, 2022. #
Thibaud Moritz / AFP / Getty -
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![Beachgoers at a resort look inland, toward a towering plume of smoke in the distance.]()
Read morePeople look at plumes of smoke, caused by a wildfire in Malaga, as they rise over Playa del Bajondillo beach in Torremolinos, Spain, on July 15. #
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![A firefighting helicopter carrying a water bucket flies low in a neighborhood.]()
Read moreA firefighting helicopter works to contain a wildfire in Leiria, Portugal, on July 13. #
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![Several people move quickly down porch stairs toward a waiting car, under an orange, smoky sky.]()
Read moreLocals are evacuated as a forest fire burns close to houses in Palmela, Portugal, on July 13. #
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![A person swings a long leafy branch at smoldering brush.]()
Read moreA volunteer uses a tree branch to try to prevent a forest fire from reaching homes in Casal da Quinta, outside Leiria, on July 12. #
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![Several firefighters work near a wildfire.]()
Read moreFirefighters work to contain a tactical fire in Louchats, as wildfires continue to spread in the Gironde region of southwestern France, on July 17. #
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![A firefighter stands in front of a firetruck at night, in a forest.]()
Read moreFirefighters work near the beach of Lac de Cazaux, near La Teste-de-Buch, France, on July 15. #
Thibaud Moritz / AFP / Getty -
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![Black smoke rises above a dune, seen from a hotel-swimming-pool deck.]()
Read moreThis photograph taken in Pyla-sur-Mer shows smoke rising from a forest fire in La Teste-de-Buch, pictured over the La Corniche Hotel, in front of the Dune du Pilat, in France, on July 18. #
Thibaud Moritz / AFP / Getty -
![A helicopter flies with a water bucket above a large forest fire.]()
Read moreA helicopter works to contain a wildfire during a heat wave in the vicinity of Guadapero, Spain, on July 15. #
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![Two firefighters, one with a smudge of ash on their nose.]()
Read moreFirefighters take a break after battling a forest fire in the village of Lagoa Parada, near Ansião, Portugal, on July 14. #
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![A car drives through a recently burned wooded area.]()
Read moreA car drives through a burned area during a wildfire in El Pont de Vilomara, north of Barcelona, Spain, on July 18. #
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![People gather on an ocean pier to look toward a huge plume of dark smoke in the distance.]()
Read moreTourists look toward a plume of dark smoke on the shoreline of Arcachon, rising above the pier in Andernos-les-Bains, from a wildfire in a forest near La Teste-de-Buch on July 14. #
Olivier Morin / AFP / Getty -
![A wildfire on a hillside burns near houses.]()
Read moreA spreading wildfire in Palmela approaches houses on July 13. #
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![A close view of a burning tree trunk.]()
Read moreA burning tree trunk stands along the Dune du Pilat, near La Teste-de-Buch, on July 13. #
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![A firefighting helicopter collects water from a swimming pool with a large bucket that hangs from a cable.]()
Read moreA firefighting helicopter collects water from a swimming pool to tackle a fire in Cebreros, Spain, on July 18. #
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![Two people walk on a large sand dune, with smoke from a forest fire billowing below them.]()
Read moreA fire burns nearby as people walk on the Dune du Pilat, near La Teste-de-Buch, on July 16. #
Gaizka Iroz / AFP / Getty -
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![Passengers look at a wildfire from inside a train.]()
Read morePassengers look at a wildfire from inside a train near Zamora, Spain, on July 18. #
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![Several firetrucks and firefighters work outside a lumber mill amid tall flames.]()
Read moreFirefighters work to contain a forest fire that hit a timber factory on July 13 in Albergaria-a-Velha, Portugal. #
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![A firefighting plane drops water on a burning forest.]()
Read moreA firefighting plane drops water on a fire near the village of Eiriz in Baião, Portugal, on July 15. #
Patricia De Melo Moreira / AFP / Getty -
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![Lights from fire engines illuminate a dark burned area along a forest road.]()
Read moreFire engines pull up as a wildfire spreads in the area close to the beach of Lac de Cazaux, in southwestern France, on July 15. #
Thibaud Moritz / AFP / Getty -
![A view of a burned-out restaurant, with glowing embers and a smoke-filled sky.]()
Read moreThis photograph taken on July 15 shows a restaurant destroyed by the flames of a wildfire near La Teste-de-Buch. #
Thibaud Moritz / AFP / Getty -
![A firefighting helicopter carrying a water bucket flies in front of the sun.]()
Read moreA helicopter team refills its water bucket while working to extinguish a wildfire in Alhaurín el Grande, Spain, on July 15. #
Jon Nazca / Reuters -
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![People guide a horse up a ramp into a trailer under a smoky sky.]()
Read morePeople evacuate animals ahead of a spreading wildfire in El Pont de Vilomara, near Barcelona, on July 17. #
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![A couple dozen people sit and lie on cots inside a large warehouse-like space.]()
Read moreVisitors to the Dune du Pilat campsite lie on cots after being evacuated from their camps because of an approaching wildfire in La Teste-de-Buch, on July 13. #
Thibaud Moritz / AFP / Getty -
![Many people play and relax on an ocean beach as a black cloud of smoke rises in the background.]()
Read moreBeachgoers in Pyla-sur-Mer look toward a black cloud of smoke from a fire that hit La Teste-de-Buch on July 13. #
Thibaud Moritz / AFP / Getty -
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![Two firefighting aircraft fly low over a broad sand dune and forest as several people watch in the foreground.]()
Read morePeople take pictures of firefighting aircraft flying over the Dune du Pilat in southwestern France on July 14. #
Thibaud Moritz / AFP / Getty -
![Several firefighters, pictured at work, in front of large flames.]()
Read moreFirefighters try to control a forest fire in Louchats on July 17. #
Thibaud Moritz / AFP / Getty -
![The glow of a forest fire illuminates the trees it is burning on a hillside, pictured at night.]()
Read moreA wildfire burns during at night in Alhaurín el Grande on July 16. #
Jon Nazca / Reuters -
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