Over 20 major wildfires raging across western Spain, where officials claim a record-breaking amount of land has already been burned, were waged on Monday by thousands of firefighters supported by soldiers and water-bombing aircraft.
Southern Europe has been particularly affected by heatwaves and drought brought on by climate change, particularly in Spain and Portugal.
On Sunday, two firefighters died in Portugal and four in Spain, both of whom were killed in road accidents and one in each country.
Virginia Barcones, the country’s civil protection chief, claimed that 23 blazes were “operational level two,” meaning they directly threaten nearby communities.
The western regions of Castile and Leon, Galicia, and Extremadura, where thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes, are where the fires are now in their second week.
Residents expressed frustration with what they thought was limited resources and poor preparation.
No one has been seen in the village of Vilamartin de Valdeorras in the Galician province of Ourense, according to Patricia Vila, 42, who spoke to AFPTV.
Not a single helicopter, not one plane, has escorted water to cool things down a little.
‘Fire Everywhere’ , p.
In the province, there were numerous warning signs of the fires, ranging from destroyed homes to ashen forests and soil, to thick smoke that made residents wear masks.
Locals in shorts and T-shirts used water from hoses and buckets to try to stop the spread, and firefighters battled the flames.
According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), more than 343,000 hectares (848, 000 acres) of land in Spain have been completely destroyed this year, making it the equivalent of nearly half a million football pitches.
Three years ago, the previous record for 306 000 hectares was broken.
Portugal is receiving air support from Sweden and Morocco, while Spain is receiving firefighting aircraft from France, Italy, Slovakia, and the Netherlands.
However, “airborne action” was difficult due to the size, severity, and intensity of the fires, according to Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles.
She continued, “It’s a very challenging, very complicated situation.”
Since the wildfires started last week, thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes.
Isidoro, 83, in Vilamartin de Valdeorras, said, “We had to flee because the fire was coming in from everywhere—everywhere, above us, below us, all around.”
‘ At War’ ,
On Monday, about 2, 000 firefighters from across Portugal’s north and center were stationed across the country, with the majority of them residing in the town of Arganil.
Since the start of the year, 216 000 hectares of Portugal’s land have been completely destroyed.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro declared that the nation had experienced “unprecedented weather” with high temperatures and strong winds for 24 days.
He continued, “We must win this battle because we are at war.”
Both governments’ officials hoped the weather would improve to help with the firefights.
The heatwave, which has gotten to 45C in some parts of Spain, was coming to an end, according to Spain’s meteorological agency.
A firefighter was killed on Sunday night when his water truck flipped over on a steep forest road and down a slope, according to Castile and Leon officials, days after two other volunteer firefighters were also killed in the area.
A riding school north of Madrid, in Romania, lost his life in a firefight between horses and staff.
A firefighter died in a traffic accident that resulted in the death of two of his colleagues in Portugal, according to Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
Source: Channels TV
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