Wildfires continue to rage in France and Spain

Thousands have been evacuated from their homes by authorities in France and Spain. More than 1,200 firefighters are deployed in Gironde, a prefecture in Bordeaux, France. Thousands of hectares have burned in Portugal.

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Residents protect themselves from the smoke as a wildfire advances near a residential area in Alhaurin de la Torre in Malaga, Spain
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Wildfires continued to rage Saturday in France and Spain as more than 10,000 people were evacuated from Gironde prefecture in southwestern Bordeaux, France.

In Gironde, 1,200 firefighters worked to bring a blaze under control as it burned for a fifth day, regional authorities said.

The deputy prefect for Langon in Gironde Vincent Ferrier told reporters that the fire "will continue to spread as long as it is not stabilized."

Over 10,000 hectares (24,000 acres) were on fire in Gironde Saturday, up from 7,300 hectares on Friday.

The devastating forest fires are triggered by a summer heat wave in Europe. Parts of the continent are bracing for new temperature records early next week.

Meteo France forecast temperatures of up to 41 degrees Celsius (105 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of southern France on Sunday, as well as up to 35 in the northwest, with new heat records expected on Monday.

The fire season has hit after an unusually dry, hot spring that left the soil parched and which authorities attribute to climate change.

What is happening in France?

Some 3,000 firefighters backed by water-dumping planes are battling the blazes in southern France, the president said, and Greece sent firefighting equipment to help.

Elsewhere in the country, a fire near the Atlantic coastal resort of Arcachon was contained overnight.

More than one-third of France's administrative departments and subregions faced an "orange" alert, with residents asked to be vigilant. France's heat wave is expected to hit its high temperature of 40 degrees Centigrade (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday.

What is happening in Spain?

Across Spain, firefighters are also battling several wildfires after days of soaring temperatures hit as high as 45.7 Celsius. The Carlos III Health Institute said 360 heat-related deaths have occurred during the recent heat wave.

In a tweet early Saturday, Malaga province emergency authorities said 3,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes, the result of a blaze near the town of Mijas, a town popular with northern European tourists.

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