By: Nina Huang

You’ve probably noticed how hot it’s been recently—throughout the world—and that is basically my topic. One of the reasons why temperatures are rising is because of wildfires.

Today we’ll be focusing on recent wildfires. How did they start? Where are they located? And what are the countries affected doing about them?

How?

According to the BBC, the most recent wildfires started with a strong wind that went spiraling across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. This huge gust of wind must have been very hot, and the land in Europe must have been abnormally dry, so fires ignited and spread, causing many deadly incidents. Other ways the wildfires could have started include lightning, arson, and military training.

Where?

Some of the main countries affected are France, Spain, Portugal, and Greece. Journalist Nicole Reese tells us that there are more than 30 wildfires in Spain currently, and a lot of them are near tourist sites. In Portugal, 30,000 hectares or 75,000 acres have been burned.

What Are Residents Doing to Cope with Wildfires?

Residents of areas where deadly wildfires exist have been evacuated, and they are living in shelters until the wildfires have been contained. The residents can’t do much but watch the fires on TV and computer screens and pray that everything is going to be all right. Even random places such as sports stadiums have been turned into shelters. “Everything went so fast—the fire too, was big, big, big, I’m just worried, I’m afraid … I’m trying to be as strong as I can but I’m not OK … I want to forget this week,” said Manon Jacquart. Along the beaches, airplanes and helicopters are filling up buckets with sea water and dumping it on the fires. Fire fighters are also releasing fire-suppressing chemicals to stop the burning.

Well, just be sure to stay cool and safe from the heat!