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Europe sizzles in heatwave as wildfire hits Portugal Madrid, Aug 5 (AFP) Aug 05, 2018 Europe sweltered through an intense heatwave on Sunday, with soaring temperatures contributing to forest fires, nuclear plants closing and even threatening the Netherlands' supply of fries, although some countries experienced a slight respite. Here is a roundup: - Spain: Fire under control-
The mercury had reached 44 C in the country's south on Saturday, the Spanish Meteorological Agency said. The rise in temperatures has already claimed the lives of three people who died of heatstroke this week.
Records in several cities were broken on Saturday, but none reached the nationwide record of 47.3 C in the southern village of Amareleja in 2003. However a forest fire continued to rage on two fronts in Monchique in the country's south on Sunday. Nearly 780 firefighters, supported by 200 vehicles and 10 water-dropping planes and helicopters were working to put it out, the civil protection agency said. The heat, wind and difficulty in accessing some areas has complicated efforts to bring the fire under control, and a hundred people have been evacuated as a precaution. Another forest fire, in central Estremoz, has left six people wounded, two in serious condition.
Saturday was the hottest day in the country since the infamous heatwave of 2003, in which thousands of people died, many of them elderly people living on their own. The emergency services complained that, despite public health warnings about keeping cool and hydrated, there was "still quite a lot of recklessness" -- citing the example of an elderly man in Lyon who suffered heart problems while mowing his lawn under the merciless afternoon sun. Four nuclear reactors remained closed Sunday over the blazing temperatures. Power company EDF said the measures were taken to avoid temperature hikes in rivers from which water is drawn to cool the reactors.
Tourists on the Italian island of Pantelleria, near Tunisia, said they had seen a tornado off the coast on Saturday. Media had previously reported on Saturday that a woman had died from apparent heatstroke on a beach in the northwestern Liguria region.
Sweltering Germans have been flocking to open air swimming pools across the country, and many pools are expecting record visitor numbers this summer, DPA news agency reported.
Public Health England told those in the southeast to take stay in the shade and drink lots of water.
Farmers are working night and day to save what they can, the Dutch broadcaster NOS reported, with potato and corn yields hit particularly hard. Producers have warned that a potato shortage could affect the supply of fries, a Dutch favourite. bur-dl/jh
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