Wildfires burn around the world

Wildfires blazing across Europe and the US are inundating firefighting crews as they decimate tens of thousands of hectares. Soaring temperatures have shattered temperature records across Europe, with the UK topping 40 degrees Celsius in unprecedented heat.

Residents in Portugal fled for their lives from homes standing in the inferno's path. However, some stayed put and miraculously lived to tell the tale, such as 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."

The Gironde in France saw in excess of 14,000 people evacuated as wildfires swept across the region. The blazes here alone have required more than 1,200 firefighters, working together with 5 Canadair amphibious seaplanes waterbombing the conflagration.

The heat's destructive force has even impacted the Alps, where an avalanche left 11 dead after a section of Italy's Marmolada glacier detached, raining down rock and ice.

With soaring temperatures in the US hitting the usually chilly Pacific Northwest for the second year in succession, cities have again set up emergency cooling stations to offer residents relief and are attending to society's most vulnerable.

Yosemite National Park lies in the path of California's most extensive wildfire, presenting the real prospect that its ancient giant sequoias may be engulfed in flames.

The unprecedented temperatures and raging wildfires have been attributed to climate change. From 22 July, we have just 7 years to save the planet according to the Climate Clock, counting down to the point when we must achieve net zero emissions.

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