Lower Thirds:

0:03	Report by Marianna Evenstein
0:49 	Pedro Sanchez | Spanish Prime Minister

((info: 
Massive wildfires continue to rage across southwestern Europe. A returning heatwave is threatening to worsen an already desperate situation in France and Spain, where roughly 330,000 people have been forced to evacuate. Though a few of the fires appear to be stabilized, many are still burning out of control.))

Script: 

00:00

These firefighting crews in Spain are racing to contain a series of forest fires before another heatwave hits the region this week.  

Favorable weather conditions overnight helped slow the spread of some of the large fires in central Spain, but a separate blaze in the eastern Castellon province continues to rage out of control. 

Across Europe, three consecutive heatwaves have intensified drought, strained water supplies and left vegetation tinder-dry. According to climate experts, the persistent dry conditions have made this season's wildfires particularly intense.  

00:39

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hit back against those who deny climate change, which he linked to the current crisis.

00:47

((SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SPANISH PRIME MINISTER PEDRO SANCHEZ SAYING:))
“Climate change denial is the worst kind of fuel in the face of the climate emergency. Ignoring reality and the warnings of science does not prepare us for what lies ahead. On the contrary, it makes us far more vulnerable and leaves our population much less safe.” 

Military engineers and forest-fire prevention crews have resumed cutting vegetation and trees in southwestern France to create firebreaks. These strategic gaps in vegetation help slow or contain the spread of wildfires. But authorities are warning that the onset of wind and high temperatures expected Tuesday could again worsen conditions.

The fires have forced hundreds of thousand of people to flee, including many tourists. In France, it's the largest evacuation in living memory. Families sheltering at makeshift evacuation sites face uncertainty and growing anxiety.

((SOUNDBITE (French) Benedict Montessuy, evacuee (ending with shot 6):))
"Beyond the physical impact, there's also a psychological one. We're especially concerned about the children, this is something they've never experienced before. Being evacuated, losing so much, not knowing what comes next, we're trying to reassure them as much as we can." 

Evacuations also continue in Spain, with residents fearing for the loss of their homes and businesses as the wildfires close in. 

SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Nuria Rodriguez Amaya, evacuee:
"Yes, we are worried, because in the end, it's our house, it's where we live. We have pets and of course, you'd think: 'I'm leaving. What I will see when I come back?'"

Spanish authorities say more than 1,500 square kilometers of land have been destroyed by wildfires so far this year, which is six times the area burnt during the same period last year.