Sky News paused its live coverage to broadcast a breaking announcement from the Prince and Princess of Wales, who released a statement amid devastating wildfires across parts of Europe.
Macron's Visit and Royal Response
The broadcaster had been showing footage of French President Emmanuel Macron visiting an emergency response centre in the fire-ravaged area of Gironde. Macron described the situation as a 'completely unprecedented wildfire' – the 'toughest since World War Two'. He added that a smaller fire in Landes had been contained, but the fight continued outside Bordeaux.
Sky News briefly interrupted its coverage to share a statement from Prince William and Princess Catherine. The statement read: 'Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the devastating wildfires across France, Spain and the UK. We are deeply grateful to the firefighters, emergency services and volunteers working tirelessly in extraordinarily difficult conditions. These events are a stark reminder of the challenges posed by an increasingly extreme climate and the importance of protecting both people and nature.'
Scale of the Wildfires
Thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes in France as firefighters battle wildfires affecting the country. Devastating fires are also burning across western Europe. A blaze west of Madrid has become Spain's largest ever, while another outside Bordeaux has burnt through an area four times the size of Paris. Some 360,000 people have been evacuated across both countries.
In Scotland, a major incident was declared at the weekend after a major wildfire in the Cairngorms, while smaller fires have burned elsewhere in the UK.
Climate Context
Climate change is driving up temperatures around the world, particularly in Europe. According to the Copernicus climate service, Europe is the fastest warming continent, heating up twice as fast as the global average.
