Blazing heat fuels deadly wildfires across Europe PHOTO

Firefighters across southern Europe continued battling multiple wildfires on July 5 as blazes spread through France, Portugal, Greece, Spain, and the Balkans, prompting evacuations, damaging thousands of hectares of land, and threatening to disrupt the Tour de France, DW reports.

The fires come as the region enters the peak summer tourism season and follows warnings from European policymakers that July and August pose a "very extreme" wildfire risk this year.

In France, authorities said they would decide by the end of July 5 whether to partially cancel the third stage of the Tour de France after a major forest fire erupted near the race route.

The blaze, which broke out on July 4 in Trevillach in the Pyrenees-Orientales department, is located about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the course. Two people—a firefighter and a local resident—were left in life-threatening condition.

Around 750 firefighters, 200 vehicles, and nine water-bombing helicopters and aircraft have been deployed to combat the fire, which has a front stretching approximately 18 kilometers. Cyclists are scheduled to finish July 6 stage in Les Angles in the Pyrenees, with race organizers hoping the route can be adjusted if necessary.

Elsewhere in France, nearly 300 firefighters were battling another wildfire in the mountainous Drôme department.

In Portugal, a wildfire that has been burning since July 2 in the Vouzela area has scorched around 12,000 hectares (30,000 acres), according to the country's Civil Protection authority.

More than 1,200 firefighters, supported by nearly 400 vehicles and 15 aircraft, have been working to contain the blaze. By July 5 afternoon, officials said the fire was partly under control, although several hotspots remained.

Spain sent reinforcement personnel, firefighting vehicles, and two water-bombing aircraft to assist Portugal, while Italy also deployed two firefighting planes.

In Spain, a wildfire in the northeastern Girona region has destroyed nearly 2,200 hectares (5,400 acres) since July 3.

Local officials warned the fire might not be brought under control on July 5. Nearly 50,000 residents in nearby communities were ordered to remain indoors or evacuate.

Police detained a man suspected of accidentally igniting the blaze while using an angle grinder during roadside work.

In Greece, a major wildfire broke out west of Athens on July 5, spreading rapidly through pine forest near Mandra.

More than 150 firefighters, backed by 22 aircraft, specialist teams, and volunteers, were deployed to contain the blaze.

Authorities also issued shelter-in-place orders in parts of Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, after a wildfire engulfed a recycling plant, sending toxic smoke into surrounding areas. Residents were instructed to remain indoors and keep their windows and doors closed.

Police arrested a 76-year-old man suspected of accidentally starting the fire after sparks from his vehicle ignited nearby vegetation, the fire department said.

Additional major wildfires were reported on the Croatian island of Hvar and near Tale in Albania.

Wildfires have intensified across southern Europe in recent years, with longer fire seasons and increasingly large areas affected. The latest outbreaks follow an early summer heatwave that swept across much of the continent.

In response to the heightened wildfire threat, the European Union has launched its largest-ever pre-deployment of emergency firefighting crews. The European Commission has stationed personnel from 14 countries in high-risk areas across Cyprus, Greece, Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal, alongside water-bombing aircraft, to strengthen Europe's response capacity during the wildfire season.

By Vafa Guliyeva