Last week, Britain recorded its hottest day ever, with the temperature exceeding 40C (104F). As the heatwave across Europe intensified, Reuters coverage of the unprecedented temperatures made newspaper front pages and TV bulletins around the world.
In the UK, Reuters photographer John Sibley shot the viral image of a member of the Queen’s Guard receiving water during the hot weather, outside Buckingham Palace in London.
“I could see one of the guards struggling and figured something might happen so kept watching and quickly captured a shot of him receiving water from a police officer – the episode was over in a few seconds,” said Sibley. “The shot was symbolic of the record temperatures in London and was consequently picked up widely and rapidly by our clients for use in their coverage.”
In France, photographer Sarah Meyssonnier made another front-page splash with powerful coverage of wildfires that sparked one of the biggest peacetime evacuations in the country – with 8,000 people being made to leave their homes.
“What strikes you most when you’re on the ground is the heat, the smoke and the crackling all around you,” Meyssonnier said.
In Spain, Reuters videographer Guillermo Martinez captured evocative footage of a man who fled a wildfire with his clothes in flames after trying to dig a trench to protect his town. The man, who is now recovering in hospital, has become a ‘national hero’ after this footage was seen and used by many broadcasters in their reporting of the wildfires.
Over 1300 TV channels around the world used Reuters video footage of the fires across Europe – a testimony to a team of visual journalists working in challenging conditions to bring the latest news on the climate.
For more of Reuters climate coverage, visit the Sustainable Business section on Reuters.com, and visit Reuters Connect for the latest video and picture coverage.
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Kayley. Rogers@TR. com