Wildfires destroy forests and homes - 27th July 2022

Forests across Europe and North America are burning. Firefighters are battling fires which are destroying tens of thousands of hectares of woodlands.

Temperatures have broken records across Europe. On the UK's hottest ever day, temperatures reached above 40 degrees Celsius.

Some residents in Portugal were forced out of their homes. Others were very lucky, like Marcio Rodrigues's uncle.

Marcio Rodrigues: "We were in the village, where there were many people. We helped fight the flames near the village, which got really close. My uncle even had his house in danger. He stayed inside and the fire passed over him and he managed to save himself."

In France, 14,000 people in the Gironde region had to escape from forest fires. It's taking 1,200 firefighters to battle these fires, with support from 5 water-bombing planes.

High temperatures in the Alps led to 11 deaths in July, when a piece of Italy's Marmolada glacier separated and crashed down the mountainside.

Tens of millions of Americans are also facing extreme temperatures. Cities in the typically cool Pacific Northwest have set up cooling stations. Meanwhile, officials are offering help to those who are having difficulties.

California's forest fires are becoming ever more fierce. One great fire's heading towards Yosemite National Park, which is putting the giant sequoia trees at risk.

These rising temperatures are the result of climate change. The Climate Clock counts down to the date we need to achieve zero emissions. On 22 July, we had just 7 years to do this.