EU keeps firefighting planes on standby as France and Spain battle blazes

Also in this newsletter: Meloni doubles down on tough-on-crime agenda

Cottage pie and glass of red, anyone? Britons shun salad despite heat in ‘reverse comfort eating’

Nostalgic foods like toad-in-the-hole also in demand at Waitrose as people pivot towards familiarity amid climatic and political upheaval Forget a crisp salad and glass of chilled rosé. Enervated Britons are seemingly more likely to crave a rich cottage pie and a robust red in heatwaves. In a trend termed “reverse comfort eating”, Waitrose’s cottage pie sales have soared 110% in the last month and South African red wine is up 68% compared with the same period last year. The surprise spike in ...

By Caroline Davies

France firestorm phenomenon: monster clouds that spawn lightning and new blazes

A wildfire in southwest France grew so powerful that its smoke column became a thunderstorm, generating lightning that struck the ground and ignited new fires beyond the original blaze, French officials said. Put another way, that means the inferno was no longer simply being propelled by the weather. It was making its own. The thundercloud also produced violent, erratic winds capable of driving the flames in new directions. The phenomenon, called a pyrocumulonimbus, or pyroCb, is rare in Euro...

By Associated Press

Heat wave threatens to worsen France, Spain wildfires

A fresh spell of extreme heat, driven by climate change, is expected to intensify some of Europe's worst wildfires in decades, stretching firefighting resources.

Live: Massive wildfire near Bordeaux 'remains stable' after calm night, local authorities say

The megafire in France's southwest Gironde department near Bordeaux, which has burned through 42,000 hectares of forest since July 22, remained "stable" Tuesday morning after a calm night, according to the local prefecture. However, forecasts predict a rise in temperatures up to 33 to 35°C inland during the day, accompanied by a southeast wind, which could reignite the blaze. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

By FRANCE 24

Europe wildfires latest: Macron says France facing ‘most difficult time since WW2’ as 40C heatwave looms

Wildfires in Europe have displaced around 300,000 people this week

By Stuti Mishra

France, Spain on edge as wildfires force 320,000 evacuations

By TOI WORLD DESK

Storms born of flame: What ‘fire clouds’ are, and why Europe's worst wildfires in decades may burn for weeks

A fire-born thunderstorm is driving Europe's worst wildfires in decades, and a heatwave is still to come.

France braces for fourth major heatwave as crews tackle Bordeaux blaze

France was bracing for its fourth major heatwave of the year on Tuesday, as soaring temperatures and tinder-dry conditions across the southwest piled pressure on crews battling a giant wildfire in the Bordeaux region. Temperatures in Bordeaux are forecast to reach 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day, around 7 degrees above the […]

Huge wildfires rage in France and Spain as firefighters race against time before next 40C heatwave

By Maira Butt

The 'big mistake' Australian travellers warned not to make as wildfires burn across Europe

Devastating wildfires are tearing through Europe at the height of its holiday season.

Battle for control of wildfires ahead of new heatwaves expected to hit Europe this week

Blazes have ripped through vast swathes of woodland in both France and Spain.

France, Spain race to curb wildfires

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By Our Correspondent