Wildfires burn, farmers struggle as another heatwave bakes western Europe

A view shows trees and vegetation burnt by a major fire in Hostens, as wildfires continue to spread in the Gironde region of southwestern France, August 11, 2022. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

HOSTENS, France (Reuters) -European nations sent firefighting teams to help France tackle a "monster" wildfire on Thursday, while forest blazes also raged in Spain and Portugal and the head of the European Space Agency urged immediate action to combat climate change.

More than 1,000 firefighters, backed by water-bombing planes, battled for a third day a fire that has forced thousands from their homes and scorched thousands of hectares of forest in France's southwestern Gironde region.