Europe swelters in fifth heatwave as wildfires rage and Danube hits record lows

Europe is enduring its fifth major heatwave of the summer, bringing extreme temperatures, uncontained wildfires, and dangerously low water levels on the Danube River.

Firefighters in the UK are battling multiple wildfires, with the West Midlands, Hampshire, and South Wales worst affected. One fire chief reported that 43 new wildfires have been recorded since Friday. In Stourbridge, a blaze destroyed 19 homes and damaged another 19 after flames spread through trees and grass into a residential area. Residents described scenes of devastation, with one comparing the aftermath to a "war zone." While the immediate danger has passed in some areas, fires continue to burn in other parts of the country, including the New Forest in Hampshire where crews have contained but not extinguished flames that have been burning for nearly a week.

Meanwhile, continental Europe is grappling with record low water levels on the Danube River due to an intense drought and prolonged high temperatures. The situation has forced the operator of a nuclear energy plant in Romania to shut down its last working reactor because there was not enough water to cool it. In Hungary, officials are conducting the controlled sinking of two barges in an effort to raise water levels at the Paks nuclear plant and avert a similar shutdown.

Birgit Vogel, executive secretary of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River, described the situation as "serious." She noted that while the region has experienced major droughts before, this event is still ongoing and its full impact remains to be seen. The Danube basin is shared by 19 countries and is home to nearly 80 million people, supporting ecosystems, economic activities, goods transport, and energy production. Vogel stressed that there is no single solution to compensate for the missing water and that adaptation measures are needed to make the basin more resilient to climate change.