Wildfires in components of Portugal as France and Holland hit with floods

Wildfires have ripped through a popular coastal area in Portugal at the same time as torrential rain and flash floods have swept much of Europe – as the continent continues to be ravaged by extreme weather this summer.

Cars have been swept away by flash floods in parts of France and the Netherlands over recent days, with streets turning into rivers and people being trapped in their homes and even hospitalised.

Severe storms have proven deadly in the mountains of Germany and Austria, where two young hikers, aged 18 and 22, died in separate incidents after being struck by lightning bolts. Warnings are in place as more stormy weather is expected today.

But it’s a different story in Cascais, an area loved by holidaying Brits near the Portuguese capital Lisbon, where dry and windy conditions allowed a ‘major’ wildfire to be whipped up yesterday, with dramatic footage showing how it spread close to homes and holiday apartments.

Meanwhile in Greece, dramatic footage shows how blazes are tearing through forests in various parts of the country, burning non-stop for days after being ignited by lightning strikes and fanned by strong winds.

In the northern mountainous area of Falakro, a wall of flames has been burning grassland for five days straight after lightning strikes ignited two areas, which then merged into a singular large front.

The fire is spreading quickly due to strong winds, Protothema reports, with fire service helicopters continuing to battle the blaze with water dumps amid fears it could spread out of control to residential areas.

A scorching heatwave saw temperatures soar to 43C in Greece last week, with the temperatures remaining high at just below 40C across parts of the country today. 

The Athens region is seeing highs of 39C, with tourists warned to continue to take precautions to avoid heatstroke after the famous Acropolis was closed due to hot weather this week.

While the temperatures are lower in Portugal – in the high 20s around Lisbon – the wildfire in Alcabideche, Cascais, remained severe throughout Sunday.

More than a dozen firefighting aircraft and almost 400 firefighters worked to get the fire under control yesterday. 

This morning, 156 firefighters remained at the site as the battle against the huge fire continued into what was said to be the final stages.

Portugal, Spain and Morocco are bracing for more scorching heat, as forecasts predict highs of up to 46C this week.

The Met Office said the peak would be this Wednesday when Madrid will reach 39C  and Seville 43C, while Lisbon will get up to 37C.

But the hottest weather in the region will be in Marrakech which will hit 46C on the same day – although temperatures are set to ease by the end of this week.

While the weather was expected to be less windy today, continued hot weather is unlikely to help firefighters.

Despite video showing flames rising high into the sky near residential buildings, local media said that the only material damage done by the fires was to a fire engine.

There were 14 people reported injured on Sunday, including 11 firefighters and three civilians.

Meanwhile heatwaves are giving way to brutal storms in large parts of northern Europe. 

In France, more than 45,000 lightning strikes were recorded over the weekend, in what is thought to be the worst storm wave of the year. 

An ‘intense stormy episode’ which began on Saturday night has led to ‘significant’ flooding in the north-eastern region of Haute-Marne. 

Five people were reportedly admitted to hospital following a heavy storm, ‘mainly for hypothermia’, according to regional officials.

Huge hailstones were filmed falling in areas along France’s south-eastern coastline and on the island of Corsica last night, with locals and visitors warned to exercise caution.

Flash floods have also ravaged parts of the country, with people being evacuated from their homes in the early hours of Sunday morning as roads were blocked and power was taken out.

There were similar scenes in parts of eastern Holland yesterday, with dangerously high water blocking motorways and seeing people trapped in their homes.

In one shocking video, only the roofs of several cars can be seen as the whole parking area next to a block of flats is filled with floodwater. 

The Austrian Alps were also hit by devastating flash floods yesterday, with rivers bursting their banks and streets turned into waterways in what emergency responders called ‘dramatic scenes’.

There was a state of emergency in the town of Kremsbrücke in Carinthia, where sirens were heard blaring on Sunday night as homes were surrounded by high water.

Local residents were warned not to leave their homes and told to go to higher floors to avoid rising floodwaters. 

‘It is too dangerous to go near the stream or the river,’ warned Josef Glanzer, commander of the Kremsbrücke fire department.

Within a very short time, around ‘110 to 130 mm of precipitation fell’ in the area. 

The water did not recede again until around midnight, and there were no reports of injuries, however the effects of the storm on residents are said to have been ‘devastating.’