LAGOS, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)- Intense wildfires have forced thousands of people from their homes across several European countries, destroying buildings, damaging vehicles and threatening communities with heatwaves and severe drought.
The fires have affected parts of Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Croatia, Spain and Greece after successive heatwaves this year scorched about 500,000 hectares of land across the European Union.
In Croatia, strong winds pushed a wildfire into parts of the coastal town of Omis on Friday, damaging homes, businesses, cars and boats.
Reports state that about 2,000 people were evacuated from nearby villages, while 14 people were reportedly hospitalized in Split, with seven of them in life-threatening condition.
Croatia’s fire chief, Slavko Tucakovic, described the blaze as “one of the worst in Croatia’s history.”
“It was frightening even to watch. Many houses, cafes, restaurants, cars, and boats that were on dry land were damaged,” he said.
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During a visit to the affected area, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic praised firefighters for their efforts to contain the blaze.
“This fire spread at lightning speed. What the firefighters managed to save is truly a miracle,” Plenkovic said.
Meanwhile, wildfires also spread across parts of the United Kingdom after the country recorded its hottest day of the year on Thursday.
Fires in the West Midlands triggered thousands of emergency calls, destroyed homes, forced residents to evacuate, and left nineteen people hospitalized.
In Stourbridge, where a major fire began on Thursday, about 20 to 30 homes were reportedly destroyed, leaving many buildings badly damaged.
Further damage reports state that about 1,800 people were evacuated in western Germany after a wildfire moved towards Gey, near the Belgian border.
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In southwestern France, 525 residents fled a wildfire burning through the Landes pine forests. The blaze had destroyed about 1,100 hectares by Friday and moved within two kilometres of Luglon.
Regional official Gilles Clavreul described the situation as “unfavourable” as about 500 firefighters and six aircraft battled the flames.
The fires also reached Spain’s northeastern Aragon region, where authorities moved the remains of three 11th-century kings from a monastery threatened by the wildfire.
Also, in northern Greece, more than 300 people were evacuated by boat from the seaside town of Siviri after flames spread through nearby forests, darkening the sky with thick smoke.
Notably, scientists have linked the extreme heat and severe drought fuelling the fires across Europe to climate change.
France, Spain, Greece and the Balkans have been among the areas most affected by heatwaves this year.
The widespread evacuations highlight the growing risks faced by communities as extreme heat, dry conditions and rapidly spreading wildfires put lives, homes and ecosystems under increasing pressure.
