More than 20 major wildfires are raging across western Spain, where officials claim a record amount of land has already been burned, thanks to the support of thousands of firefighters supported by soldiers and water-bombing aircraft.
Southern Europe has been particularly affected by forest fires brought on by heatwaves and drought, which are attributed to climate change, in Spain and Portugal.
On Sunday, two firefighters died in Portugal and four in Spain, one of them in a road accident and one in each nation.
Virginia Barcones, the country’s civil protection officer, reported to TVE 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.
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 (756, 142 acres) was set.
foreign assistance
Portugal is receiving air support from Sweden and Morocco, while Spain is being helped by 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.
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, about 216 000 hectares (533, 747 acres) of Portugal’s land have been completely destroyed.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro declared that the nation had experienced “unprecedented severity” of weather with high temperatures and strong winds for 24 days.
He continued, “We are at war, and we must win this battle.”
Both governments’ officials hoped the weather would improve to help with the firefights.
Source: Aljazeera
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