Heatwave-fuelled wildfires rage in southern France, Italy and Spain

AI Summary

Heatwave conditions have exacerbated wildfires in southern France, Sicily, Italy, and Spain, resulting in three firefighter fatalities and mass evacuations. Temperatures exceeding 40°C and strong hot winds have amplified the fires, requiring deployment of thousands of firefighters and aerial water-bombing support.

Wildfires raged on Wednesday in Sicily, southwestern France and central Spain, having claimed the lives of three firefighters and sparked thousands of evacuations. Temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius and gusts of hot wind fanned the flames in the southern Italian island, where wildfires have been raging for several days. Around 6,000 firefighters, forest guards and civil protection officials were deployed to battle the flames with the help of water-bombing aircraft, the head of the region,...