Europe gripped by ‘superfires’ and a plague of toxic caterpillars after deadly 45C heatwave
EUROPE is currently being hit by a double whammy of “superfires” and an invasion of toxic caterpillars after the continent sweltered in a 45C heatwave.
Conservation group The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has issued a warning about “superfires” which spread faster than normal, triggered by heatwaves and droughts.
If that wasn’t bad enough, countries like Germany and the Netherlands are being plagued by an invasion of toxic oak processionary caterpillars which can trigger allergic reactions and skin irritations.
It is reported around 300,000 hectares of forest burn every year in Europe.
A fire broke out near Cuevas del Valle in Catalonia, Spain, towards the end of last month and the region’s interior minister Miquel Buch estimated it destroyed 4,000 hectares.
It was the worst fire Catalonia had seen in 20 years, the regional government said.
It was thought the fire spread quickly due to a combination of strong winds and soaring temperatures.
Hundreds of firefighters have also been battling wildfires in the Gard region, southern France, which destroyed more than 600 hectares of land.
France recently recorded its highest ever temperature when the mercury hit 45.8C in Gallargues-le-Montueux last Friday.
So far this year more than 1,400 European wildfires have been reported.
WWF Spain said apart from rising global temperatures, rural depopulation and chaotic urbanisation are behind the worsening wildfires.
Blazes in Portugal, Greece and Spain killed 225 people between 2017 and 2018.
The WWF report said: “The current policy regarding fighting wildfires, which is based exclusively on a system of extinguishment, is obsolete and inefficient in fighting a new kind of ‘superfires’.”
Meanwhile, firefighters in Belgium have been tackling a different kind of problem with the caterpillars.
They were called out recently to destroy nests of the creepy crawlies before a rock concert in Louyvain.
Germany’s western Ruhr region has been one of the worst affected areas for the invasive species, causing parks and schools to be closed.
Dortmund’s Fredenbaumpark was closed for three weeks as nearly 500 trees were found to be infested, according to Deutschlandfunk.
Park manager Frank Dartsch said: “The oak processionary infestation this year is very intensive – much more than last year.”
Specialist teams were brought in and attacked the nests with blowtorches and vacuum cleaners.
The Dutch regions of Noord-Brabant, Drenthe and Overijssel are also reported badly affected.
Luxembourg is also has a problem with the caterpillars and the French island of Corsica.
Oak processionary caterpillars
It is the caterpillar’s hairs which are toxic and can cause eye irritation, rashes, coughing and in some cases an allergic reaction.
The nests are also highly toxic.
The toxin is thaumetopoein and the anti-inflammatory cortisone can provide some relief.
The effects from the caterpillars are hard to counteract as the hairs have hooks that grip into the skin.
The toxin can also affect dogs and should also be kept away from infected areas.
Rashes from the caterpillars tend only to last up to three days, but you should see a doctor if they persist or have any concerns.
They are also causing a problem in the Spanish region of Asturias while the city of Valladolid has a problem with pine processionary caterpillars which are a similar variety but live in pine trees.
The caterpillars grow to between 2-3cm and make their nests in oak trees, eating the young leaves.
A mature caterpillar can have up to 700,000 hairs which can be spread by the wind.
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