Thursday, July 21, 2022 | 6:02 a.m.
Britain’s unprecedented heatwave has increased calls for the government to step up efforts to adapt to a changing climate, especially after bushfires created the busiest day for London firefighters since the city was bombed. during world war II.
Meanwhile, the fire advances in urban areas of Greece and continues to stalk several areas of Spain and France.
Temperatures dipped a bit yesterday in the UK thanks to cold air blowing in from the west, while hot dry weather continues to punish much of Europe.
Still, travel was disrupted for a third day as rail operators repaired heat damage and firefighters cleared areas of fires Tuesday.
Britain needs to prepare for similar heatwaves in the future because man-made carbon emissions have already changed the climate, warned Professor Stephen Belcher, chief scientist at the Met Office, the national weather service.
Only aggressive emission cuts will reduce the frequency of such events, he added.
Climatologists have been surprised by the speed at which temperatures have risen in Britain in recent years: 34 locations across the UK on Tuesday broke the country’s previous temperature record of 37.8C, set in 2019.
The weather hit a country where few homes, schools or small businesses have air conditioning and infrastructure such as railways, highways and airports are not designed to cope with such temperatures.
Thirteen people, including seven teenagers, are believed to have died trying to cool off after encountering difficulties in rivers, reservoirs and lakes.
Fifteen fire departments declared major incidents after more than 60 properties across the country were destroyed on Tuesday.
Fires in Greece and Spain
Nearly 500 firefighters were trying to contain a huge blaze that threatened hilly suburbs outside Athens for the second day in a row yesterday, after hundreds of residents were evacuated overnight.
Fires continued in southern Europe, but authorities in France, Spain and Portugal reported improved conditions as the heat wave eased.
In Greece, at least two people were hospitalized with respiratory problems and minor burns, and local authorities said several houses had burned in the fire around Mount Penteli, 25 kilometers (16 miles) northeast of the Greek capital.
The winds of up to 80 kilometers per hour made it difficult for the aerial means to work, he said.
Although Greece has avoided the heat wave that has hit other Western European countries, officials said weeks of hot, dry weather, as well as a longer-term rise in temperatures, have increased the risk of wildfires overall.
Fires in the United States
Authorities yesterday lifted an evacuation order in North Texas, despite the threat of more wildfires due to heat, winds and dry air. The evacuation order was lifted in the rural area south of Tolar, about 45 miles southwest of Fort Worth, Hood County announced.
The fire has burned about 9 square miles, destroyed a dozen structures and was already 10% contained, the Texas A&M Ranger Service said. It’s unclear how many of the structures were homes, Ranger Service spokeswoman Mary Leathers said.
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