Weeks of triple-digit heat spark wildfires in Texas as nation scorches
Firefighters continue to brave temperatures hovering around 110 degrees as they battle 18 active wildfires burning across Texas and threatening 1,200 homes.
Drought conditions driven by weeks of triple-digit heat are turning the Lone Star State into a tinderbox. It's so hot, trains are slowing down, with the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system capping speeds at 30 miles an hour.
"By reducing the speeds we are able to ensure safety of both our passengers and for the light rail vehicles," DART spokesman Gordon Shattles said.
All city libraries in Dallas are acting as cooling centers.
"The heat is horrible," resident John Blacker said. "You try to find shade where you can, AC wherever you can."
Danny Kidwell is working 15-hour days fixing air conditioners.
"There's a lot of people, especially people that are senior citizens, if their air goes out, they will not leave their house," Kidwell told CBS News. "So they'll stay in it and wait on me."
Kidwell said he's been so busy that he hasn't had time to fix the air conditioning in his own truck.
The weather pattern slow roasting the Midwest is moving east. A power outage in Medford, Massachusetts, briefly cut off air conditioning to thousands. Boston is under a heat emergency. In New York City, temperatures could reach 100 degrees.
"This is serious heat, and we're really concerned about those particularly with pre-existing respiratory conditions," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday.
In Europe, the unprecedented heat wave is sparking fires across the continent. The heat has been blamed for more than 1,900 deaths.
Near Athens, Greece, police are going door to door telling residents to run as wildfires sweep through the area.
Across Spain and Portugal, soldiers are on the front lines of the battle against fast-moving flames.
Italy's worst drought in 70 years has revealed ancient ruins dating back nearly 2,000 years in the Tiber River. But it's even worse in Italy's north, where there is a state of emergency. Fields that produce wine, risotto and wheat to make pasta are bone dry.
Chris Livesay contributed reporting.
