Inferno in the Mediterranean: Heatwaves and Wildfires Rage On

Across Spain, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, and the Balkans, firefighting squads faced off against rampant wildfires Tuesday, driven by a sweltering heatwave that catapulted temperatures past 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in parts of Europe. Scientists link the escalating frequency and intensity of Mediterranean wildfires to global warming, as hot, dry summers become the norm.

In Portugal, local official Alexandre Favaios, voiced desperation as multiple blazes scorched the landscape. While a fire struck the fringes of Madrid, claiming a worker's life and encroaching on residences, authorities managed to contain it by Tuesday. Elsewhere, Albania and Montenegro grapple with their own fire-related tragedies, marking a grim testament to the region-wide crisis.

In Spain's Catalonia region, heat claimed the life of a Hungarian laborer, and further east, heaps of smoke blanketed Montenegro's capital after a water tanker incident proved fatal for a soldier. As over 2,000 were evacuated in Spain's Tarifa due to a fire, authorities across Europe issued heat warnings, ramping up preparedness for potential escalations.

(With inputs from agencies.)