Forest Fires Plague SW Europe amid Record Temperatures

Iberia turned into a tinderbox

Thousands evacuated in Spain amid raging wildfires in the west and southeast of the country.

Meanwhile, about 80% of neighboring Portugal is facing severe or extreme drought conditions, according to the local climatologists.

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Meteorologists expect the temperature in southern Germany to break all-time high of 40.3C (105F) on Friday, a record that was set just over a month ago on 5 July in the town of Kitzingen in Bavaria, said a report.

France’s weather agency issued Extreme Heat Warnings for central and eastern France Friday, forecasting temperatures of up to 40C in many regions.

“This summer has been a particularly hot one for France and left many areas in drought and with water restrictions imposed,” said a report.

Another Airbus Caught Fire?

Airbus Engine Catches Fire in Orly, Paris

Eight people were injured when 165 passengers on an Airbus 310 stampeded toward the emergency exists after an engine suddenly caught fire as the plane prepared for takeoff.

Vueling Flight 9127, was preparing to take off from Orly Airport in Paris, France, heading toward Alicante in southeastern Spain when the engine caught fire at 10:36 am, on Wednesday.

“Before getting out, everybody was panicking inside the plane. When people heard about the incident, everybody was pushing each other to get out and eventually everybody went down the emergency slides,” a passenger told Associated Press.

“Jose Luis Casado, a representative of the Spanish carrier Iberia, which owns nearly half of Vueling, said that a ground employee spotted liquid leaking from one of the engines as it was starting. The employee sounded an alert, but the fire broke out soon after.”

The management decided to use the emergency slides to evacuate the passengers, Casado said.

“Of course, it is a very spectacular procedure because we use the emergency slides, we make the usual announcements, asking people to take off their shoes and leave their luggage on board the plane. It’s quite a traumatic experience for the passengers.”

For a list of most recent air crashes and Airbus near misses click on the link below.

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