France: Cooler weather, potential rain bring relief to wildfire-ravaged region

On Thursday, cooler temperatures and a favorable forecast sparked optimism for a dehydrated zone of southwestern France engulfed by wildfires that have scorched four times the size of Paris in recent weeks.

According to local officials, reports show a calm night with a fire that has not grown beyond the 42,000 hectares already impacted, adding that fire crews remain on site for consolidation supported by 2,200 firefighters and over 20 aircraft.

With a moisture influx from the Atlantic Ocean coast, a light rain is expected in the town of Lege-Cap-Ferret on a peninsula that’s been at the cutting edge of the devastated region. 

Authorities have confirmed that the humidity that reached 80% overnight is anticipated to fall by midday, though some rainfall was expected along the coast could ultimately reach the fire zone.

The fires in the Bordeaux forest-a popular vacation hotspot are among the blazes that have swept across pockets of southern Europe in recent weeks including those in Spain and Greece.

Notably, temperatures that topped out around 40 Celsius a day earlier set to drop today, topping out at 27C along the coast. It has been observed that an orange heat wave alert was lifted shortly before dawn-the second-highest level after red.

At present, authorities said three firefighters had died on the Greek island as the wildfire emergency extended from the Atlantic coast to the eastern Mediterranean.

For those unversed, there had been 1,000 more deaths than expected during the sweltering conditions that have gripped much of western Europe for days, as the heat swept across France after days of blistering temperatures that saw the mercury rise above 40C in several areas. 

In addition, a third of a million people were evacuated from their homes and vacation spots in France and Spain.