INTERNATIONAL: Much of Europe is baking in a heat wave that scientists say is consistent with climate change and has pushed temperatures into the mid-40s Celsius (over 110 Fahrenheit) in some regions, with wildfires raging across tinder-dry countryside in Portugal, Spain and France.
A man who was trapped in a Spanish wildfire escaped with his clothes on fire after attempting to prevent the blaze reaching the town of Tabara on Monday (July 18).
Named locally as Angel Martin Arjona, he was driving a digger towards the fire in a field on the outskirts of the town when the vehicle was engulfed in flames.
Seconds later he was seen running from the fire, tripping and scrambling to his feet before flames could be seen on his clothes.
Passengers of a stuck train in Spain watched warily as a wildfire tore through vegetation near the track in Zamora.
The train was travelling between Madrid and Ferrol in the Galicia region but the Zamora wildfire forced it to a halt at around 0930 am, the passenger who shot the video, Francisco Seoane said.
Britain was heading for its highest temperatures on record and firefighters battled blazes across southern Europe as a heat wave sent people hunting for shade and compounded fears about climate change.
In Portugal, half the municipality of Murca was on fire and the bodies of an elderly couple trying to flee had been found inside a "completely charred vehicle," the mayor told local broadcaster SIC.
Wildfires raged across Portugal, Spain and France and authorities warned there was a risk of more as tinder-dry conditions persisted.
"We hoped we wouldn't get to this situation but for the first time ever we are forecasting greater than 40C in the UK," said climate attribution scientist at the Met Office, Dr Nikos Christidis.
"Climate change has already influenced the likelihood of temperature extremes in the UK. The chances of seeing 40C days in the UK could be as much as 10 times more likely in the current climate than under a natural climate unaffected by human influence," he said.
