US sweltering through deadly heat wave

Washington, July 21 

Americans braced for a second-and equally scorching-day of dangerously hot weather on Sunday, with daytime temperatures forecast to approach 38° Celsius across a number of major US cities.

An oppressive heat wave stretching from the Midwestern plains to the Atlantic coast had nearly 15 crore people struggling to stay cool amid stifling temperatures on Saturday.

“The temperatures we’re seeing in our city today and tomorrow could be the highest we’ve seen in years. Take it seriously,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Twitter.

The heat was expected to continue as a high-pressure system off the Atlantic coast ushered in steamy, subtropical air. “Dangerously hot conditions will continue through Sunday,” the National Weather Service (NWS) warned for the Washington and Baltimore area, where forecasters predicted high temperatures ranging for a second day.

“High temperatures and humidity could quickly cause heat stress or heat stroke if precautions are not taken,” the NWS added. People were urged to stay hydrated, watch out for the sick and elderly, stay inside as much as possible and not leave children or animals in cars. The heat wave already claimed at least three lives, including two earlier in the week in the eastern state of Maryland.

In Arkansas, 32-year-old former NFL player Mitch Petrus died of heatstroke on Thursday after working outside his family’s shop.

Heat warnings have also been issued for parts of eastern Canada. In New York, de Blasio declared a heat emergency. The New York City Triathlon, which had been scheduled for Sunday, was cancelled for the first time since its founding in 2001. Meanwhile the two-day OZY Fest-a food, comedy and music festival set for Central Park-was also called off. New York City opened 500 cooling centres for residents. — AFP

1,300 firefighters battle Portugal wildfires

• Planes and helicopters joined more than a thousand firefighters in central Portugal on Sunday to battle huge wildfires in a mountainous region where over 100 persons died in huge blazes in 2017
• One of the biggest mobilisations ever seen in the area, including 1,300 firefighters and 400 vehicles, had been deployed to fight the blazes in the heavily forested Castelo Branco region, 200 km north of Lisbon