Wildfire rages in Bordeaux; fire pilot killed in Portugal

By JOSEPH WILSON and ANGELA CHARLTON

PARIS (AP) — Strong winds and hot, dry weather are frustrating French firefighters’ efforts to contain a huge wildfire that has raced across pine forests in the Bordeaux region for a fifth straight day. It’s one of several wildfires that have scorched Europe in recent days. Among the worst have been in Portugal, where the pilot of a firefighting plane died when his plane crashed. In France, 3,000 firefighters backed by water-dumping planes are battling blazes in the south. In Britain, the government was holding an emergency meeting to plan for possibly record-breaking temperatures on Monday and Tuesday. The British weather service says temperatures could hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 F), endangering lives in a country that has little air conditioning.