…And Devastating Wildfires
Wildfires also devastated the country this summer, along with much of Southern Europe. In late July and early August, coinciding with the searing temperatures, 270 wildfires cropped up in 53 provinces across the country, in what the government said was the worst wildfire season in the country’s history. At least 9 people died in the fires, which burned more than 230,000 acres and forced dozens of villages and communities to evacuate. Apocalyptic footage posted to social media showed people fleeing from the flames onto a beach. (In an abrupt climate about-face, barely two weeks later, the country also experienced catastrophic floods that killed at least 27 people.)
