Smoke from fires in Spain and Portugal clouds French skies

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The west of the country woke up again on Monday, August 18, to a sky thick with smoke from the forest fires ravaging the Iberian Peninsula. This poses significant health risks.

In the village of Vilarino, northwest Spain, on August 17. (Miguel Riopa/AFP)

Red sun and milky skies. An apocalyptic atmosphere invaded the Landes, Gironde, Centre-Val de Loire and even Brittany this weekend of August 15. The cause was ochre smoke carried by the winds over thousands of kilometers: these are plumes from the dozens of fires raging in Spain and Portugal , Météo France confirmed.

Arriving from the Atlantic coast, the smoke even reached the United Kingdom, the Met Office, the British meteorological agency, reported on Saturday. As of Monday morning, August 18, clouds of fine particles and ash emitted by the blazes were still visible on satellite images. The fires have also contributed to the release of large quantities of greenhouse gases. In Spain, according to

Forest fires Fires Spain Portugal Global warming