Europe burns as heatwave breaks temperature records

LONDON, July 19 ― A fierce heatwave in western Europe yesterday left much of the continent wilting under a scorching sun, smashing temperature records and feeding ferocious forest wildfires.

The mercury hit 39.3C in Brest on the Atlantic coast of Brittany, in the far northwest of the country, smashing a previous record of 35.1C from 2002. European Commission researchers meanwhile said nearly half of EU territory was exposed to warning-level drought. Eleven percent was at an alert level and crops were already suffering from lack of water.An area of nine kilometres long and eight kilometres wide was still ablaze near France's Dune de Pilat, Europe's highest sand dune, turning picturesque landscapes, popular campsites and pristine beaches into a scorching mess.

In Spain, fire burning in the northwestern province of Zamora claimed the life of a 69-year-old shepherd, regional authorities said. On Sunday, a fireman died in the same area.Authorities have reported around 20 wildfires still raging from the south to Galicia in the far northwest, where blazes have destroyed around 4,500 hectares of land.

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