Page 18 - IAV Digital Magazine #477

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It's So Hot In Spain That Manure Self-ignited, Sparking A 10,000-Acre Wildfire
By Ivana Kottasová, CNN
(CNN) Firefighters in Spain are battling a major wildfire that probably started after a heap of manure self-ignited amid the intense European heat wave.
Around 10,000 acres of forest and other vegeta- tion were affected by the blaze near Tarragona in the country's north- east, according to the Catalan
regional govern- me
Trees burn during the forest fire west of Tarragona on June 27.
Authorities said the fire likely began when an "improperly man- aged" pile of manure self-com- busted in the heat, causing sparks.
Spontaneous ignitions can occur when flam- mable materials, such as piles of hay, compost or
manure heat up to a temper- ature high enough to cause combustion, according to the US National Park Service.
Residents gather to observe a for- est fire raging near Maials in the northeastern region of Catalonia on June 27, 2019.
As of early after- noon, the fire was still not under control and 53 people have been evacuated from
the area.
The Catalan fire brigade said around 350 fire crew, 12 fire engines and a number of vehi- cles with large water tanks were at the scene.
Seven aircraft, two hydroplanes and heavy machinery were also deployed, the fire service said.
Locals were advised to stay indoors and keep their windows
shut to avoid inhaling smoke.
The firefighters said the blaze is one of the worst in Catalonia in the last 20 years. They warned it could spread to as much as two times its current area because of the harsh weath- er conditions and tough local ter- rain, which includes steep slopes and deep ridges.
The Catalan gov- ernment said that while tempera- tures are forecast to rise again on Thursday, the strong winds that helped the fire spread quickly late on Wednesday are expected to ease.
Europe has been struggling with a major heatwave this week, with temperatures expected to rise even higher on Thursday and
Friday.
Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic
all recorded their highest-ever June temperatures on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Météo-France, the French national weather authority, issued a "red level" alert for four depart- ments in the south of the country, the first time this level of alert has been used for a heat- wave.
Climate scientists have warned that heat waves such as this one are becoming more frequent and increasingly severe because of the climate cri- sis. Météo- France said the frequency of such events is expect- ed to double by 2050.
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