Wildfires rage across southern Europe, forcing thousands to flee homes

A water-bombing aircraft drops water on a wildfire in the Pyrénées-Orientales region of France. The fire has nearly tripled in size since Sunday. Photograph: Jc Milhet/AFP/Getty Images View image in fullscreen A water-bombing aircraft drops water on a wildfire in the Pyrénées-Orientales region of France. The fire has nearly tripled in size since Sunday. Photograph: Jc Milhet/AFP/Getty Images Wildfires rage across southern Europe, forcing thousands to flee homes Tour de France spectator ban as country along with Spain, Portugal and Greece face ‘powder keg’ after heatwave Europe live – latest updates Wildfires raging across southern Europe have forced thousands to flee their homes and prompted officials to ban spectators from a stage of the Tour de France , amid warnings of “powder keg” conditions after a record-breaking early summer heatwave. Hundreds of firefighters are tackling blazes that have burned through almost 20,000 hectares (49,500 acres) in Portugal , Spain, France and Greece. Strong winds are forecast to fan the flames and temperatures are expected to rise again this week. In the remote foothills of the French Pyrenees near the Spanish border, 700 firefighters were struggling to contain an out-of-control wildfire that has ⁠scorched 5,000 hectares and prompted the evacuation of more than 10,000 people. “This morning, conditions are ⁠deteriorating again,” said the French interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, on Monday, adding that with wildfires now blazing in five departments, twice as much land had burned in France so far this season compared with the same time last year. View image in fullscreen The blazes follow a premature May heatwave and another in June that shattered temperature records across western Europe. Photograph: JC Milhet/AFP/Getty Images The Pyrenees fire has nearly tripled in size since Sunday. “It came within 300 metres [984ft] of the houses. We were shocked by how fast it spread, it was staggering – bordering on panic,” Patrice, from the village of Trévillach, told Agence France-Presse. The blazes follow a premature May heatwave and another in June that shattered temperature records across western Europe , caused thousands of excess deaths and left vast areas of land particularly vulnerable to wildfires. The World Weather Attribution group of scientists has said the extreme temperatures recorded in June would have been “virtually impossible” without the climate crisis. Temperatures are forecast to climb again this week, rising to 40C locally. View image in fullscreen The scorched remains of a house in the town of Ille sur Tet on Monday. Photograph: Jean-Christophe Milhet/AFP/Getty Images “Climate change is here, we are living the consequences and it is only the start of July,” said the fire chief for Pyrénées-Orientales, Eric Belgioino. “This season is going to be a long one for the soldiers fighting fires. You have to help us.” The regional prefect, Pierre Regnault de la Mothe, ordered Tour de France spectators “not to