Forest Fires Sweep Southern Spain Amid Searing Heat Wave

Storyful

Wildfires continued to burn in southern Spain on Friday, July 15, amid a searing heat wave throughout Western Europe.

This video, posted by Twitter user @JoseMSantiagoD, who said it was captured from the coastal town Alhaurin de la Torre, Malaga, shows thick smoke plumes over the Sierra de Mijas mountains on Friday.

By Friday afternoon, Andalusian officials declared a Level 1 emergency plan due to a fire in the El Higueron area of the mountains and urged caution.

Temperatures were at least 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in many areas of Spain, Portugal, France, and Greece throughout the week, leading the EU’s Copernicus emergency management service to warn of “extreme fire danger” across southern Europe on July 15. Credit: @JoseMSantiagoD via Storyful

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