Europe faces fresh climate crisis: Wildfires, drought and storms persist even as heat recedes

On Friday, firefighters backed by 30 aircraft struggled to contain a wildfire in northeastern Spain that has devastated forests, triggering the evacuation of more than 1,000 people as a recent heatwave left much of Europe dry.

Scientists blame human-induced climate change for pushing temperatures into uncharted territory, resulting in thousands more deaths due to consecutive early summer heatwaves.

It has been observed that a drought has worsened day by day even as the latest heatwave continues to intensify with high temperatures in France.

Meanwhile, firefighters in northeast Germany were hoping for rain to help suppress a wildfire at the Muritz National Park that has been burning for nearly a week.

On the contrary, firefighters were also tackling wildfires near Madrid and Guadalajara province where around 1,500 hectares have burned and a camp was vacated as a precaution.

According to experts, the June 20-28 heatwave was the most severe recorded in Europe, causing grid failures to power generation, damaging infrastructure and straining health systems.

Paris health officials reportedly confirmed that there had been 1,000 more deaths than expected during the sweltering conditions that have gripped much of western Europe for days.

The World Meteorological Organization has said that Europe is warming more than twice the global average, making extreme heatwaves increasingly likely.