Europe suffers from deadly heat wave as wildfires displace thousands of people

Paramedics help a patient into an ambulance during a heat wave in Barcelona, Spain, on Monday, July 18, 2022.

A deadly heat wave in Western Europe has triggered intense wildfires, disrupted transportation and displaced thousands of people.

The record-breaking heat is forecast to grow more severe this week and has prompted concerns over infrastructure problems such as melting roads.

According to the national weather forecaster, several areas in France have experienced record breaking temperatures. The highest temperature in Britain has fallen just below the national record.

Firefighters operate at the site of a wildfire in Pumarejo de Tera near Zamora, northern Spain, on June 18, 2022.

There are at least five countries in Europe that have declared states of emergency or red warnings because of the hot conditions that cause fires. More than 30,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in the past week due to fires in the region.

Climate change has made heat waves more frequent. In recent years, fires have grown more destructive due to dry and hot conditions.

The Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Snchez, visited areas affected by the fires. Snchez said that climate change kills people and what is most important to us.

Tourists fill the Levante beach in Benidorm to quench high temperatures as a heatwave sweeps across Spain on July 16, 2022 in Benidorm, Spain. 

According to estimates by Spain's Carlos III Health Institute, at least 350 people have died in Spain from high temperatures. More than 200 people died in Portugal in the first half of July due to the high temperatures.

The U.K.'s train service was limited due to the heat. The U.K. Met Office has never issued a red warning for heat. According to Britain's national weather service, Wales set a new temperature record on Monday.

An aerial view shows boats in the dry bed of Brenets Lake (Lac des Brenets), part of the Doubs River, a natural border between eastern France and western Switzerland, in Les Brenets on July 18, 2022. 

The runway at the airport in London was found to have a defect due to the extreme temperatures. The temperature in north London was expected to rise on Tuesday.

The United Nations Secretary-General issued a dire warning to leaders from 40 nations gathered in Berlin to discuss climate change response measures.

Half of the world is in danger from disasters. There is no immunity for any nation. In a video message to the leaders on Monday, the UN Secretary-General said that we still feed our fossil fuel addiction.

The AP reported.

Beachgoers react, as smoke produced by wildfires in La Teste-de-Buch forest billows, Arcachon, France, July 18, 2022.