Wildfires Sweep Europe as Record Heat Fuels Blazes from Britain to the Balkans

A record-shattering heatwave and tinder-dry ground drove wildfires across Europe on Friday, from England and Wales to Croatia, France, Germany and Serbia, forcing thousands to evacuate as Britain's prime minister deployed the military.

Europe is burning. A record-shattering heatwave and tinder-dry ground drove wildfires across the continent on Friday, stretching emergency services from England to the Balkans and forcing thousands of people from their homes.

Britain logged its worst wildfire day on record. Fire chiefs said blazes in England and Wales had hit a record level, surpassing last year's total, a day after fires tore through the West Midlands town of Stourbridge and destroyed 19 homes, Reuters reported. Prime Minister Andy Burnham responded by banning the sale of disposable barbecues and deploying military personnel to fight the flames, UPI reported. The country also logged its hottest day of the year so far, a provisional 38.1°C in southern England.

The crisis stretched far beyond Britain. A wildfire that swept through the Croatian resort town of Omis killed one person, injured at least 40, and forced roughly 1,000 people to evacuate. In France, a blaze in the southwest burned about 1,100 hectares and displaced more than 500 people, with 83 departments under an orange heat alert. A fire in western Germany forced around 1,800 people to evacuate overnight, witnesses describing "ash falling from the sky." Fires also burned across Spain, Serbia and Belgium, according to a Xinhua roundup.

The European Commission's Joint Research Centre forecast "very extreme" fire danger across a large swath of central and eastern Europe through Aug. 19 — a warning that the continent's wildfire crisis is far from over.

Sources: Reuters | UPI | Xinhua