'APOCALYPTIC' wildfires to SPREAD across Europe warns EU as 330,000 evacuated from major cities

All of Europe could be on fire in the coming days - warns the EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre after authorities battled to contain wildfires in Spain and France.

Roughly 330,000 people have been driven from their homes since blazes began last week. Southwestern france has beared the brunt - with an estimated 240 homes completely destroyed. An area four times the size of Paris has burned outside Bordeaux.

In Spain, a fire which has been dubbed the 'monster' burned over 104,000 hectares West of Madrid. Authorities believe the blaze has now been contained.

Large swathes of Portugal are under red fire alerts - after firefighters battled flames in the north of the country, by the Spanish border.

The EU's warning comes as a 'heat dome' covers most of Europe, maintaining the hot and dry weather. Temperatures are expected to climb to 42 celcius in the impacted French region.

Maria Zuber from the ERCC said there was reason to worry about the proximity of the fires in Spain and France to major cities. Over 220,000 people were evacuated from the Bordeaux region, and residents of eight towns near Toledo were forced from their homes. Zuber said EU expected fires in Greece, and an intensification in Italy from early August.

#wildfires #eu #france #spain #heatwave

By Nicholas Dunning