Extreme heat causes wildfires in Spain and Germany

Firefighters work at the site of a wildfire in Pumarejo de Tera near Zamora, northern Spain

Firefighters have been battling wildfires in parts Europe after unusually high temperatures for this time of year.

For several days temperatures in Spain and Germany have risen well above 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) in many cities.

Scientists say periods of intense heat are happening more often because of climate change.

Spain

Smoke rises above the Tera river during a wildfire in Pumarejo de Tera near Zamora

More than 500 firefighters and water-dumping planes are trying to extinguish a blaze in Spain's worst affected area - the northwest province of Zamora near the border with Portugal.

Zamora is sparsely populated, meaning not a lot of people live there, but flames have spread to the outskirts of some residential areas, meaning people have had to leave their homes in at least ten villages and move to safer areas.

The fire in Zamora was started by a lightning strike during a storm.

More than 61,000 acres of land have been taken over by the fire, which is the size of about 39,000 UK football pitches!

The fires have been helped by conditions such as a lack of rain and gusting winds with high temperatures not expected to drop until Wednesday.

A firefighter arriving to the scene of a wildfire in Navarra, Spain

Elsewhere the authorities have evacuated 15 small villages as a precaution in Spain's northern area of Navarra as fires moved closer to populated areas with emergency services also moving several animals to safety.

"The situation remains delicate. We have various active fires due to the extremely high temperatures and high winds," Navarra regional vice president Javier Remírez said.

Wildfires were also active in three areas of Catalonia, a region in north-east Spain, including Lleida, Tarragona and in a nature park in Garaf, just south of Barcelona.

Germany

A helicopter carries water in order to extinguish a wildfire near Beelitz, southwest of Berlin in Germany

Many other areas of Europe have also faced very hot temperatures over the past few days.

In Germany, residents in villages southwest of the capital Berlin were told to seek shelter because of fires on Saturday.

Those living in Frohnsdorf, Tiefenbrunnen and Klausdorf evacuated to a nearby community centre as authorities tweeted: "This is not a drill."