Spain has increased its military response to ongoing wildfires, deploying an additional 500 troops, which brings the total to 1,900 personnel involved in firefighting efforts. The wildfires have resulted in four fatalities, including a firefighter who died in an accident when his truck fell down a steep hill in Castile and León on Sunday.
In Portugal, a separate set of wildfires has led to the death of another firefighter in a traffic accident. The Portuguese President extended condolences to the firefighter’s family and noted that two additional firefighters were injured in the incident.
Widespread fires are also affecting Greece, France, Turkey, and the Balkans, amid a significant heatwave impacting southern Europe. Currently, approximately 27,000 residents in Spain have been evacuated due to the fires, predominantly concentrated in the northwest and west of the country.
The region most severely affected is Castile and León, where reports indicate that the air quality has deteriorated significantly due to smoke. In Cáceres, another fire remains uncontrolled, having burned around 11,000 hectares (about 27,181 acres). In Galicia, twelve active fires are burning, with the largest one recorded at 17,500 hectares.
In the last week alone, several additional fatalities have occurred among volunteer firefighters in León and Tres Cantos, near Madrid. Statistics from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) reveal that roughly 343,000 hectares have been scorched across Spain this year, nearly double the amount recorded in the previous year.
The Spanish Civil Guard has proposed sanctions against four individuals for conducting unauthorized burnings in A Coruña, highlighting that causing a wildfire is a criminal offense in Spain, regardless of intent. In light of the fires, both Spain and Portugal have activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism to seek international assistance. Firefighting teams and aircraft from other countries are being deployed to aid in combating the blazes.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz60y7npl32o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss