Spain is battling a wave of wildfires. The scale of the damage is staggering.
Spain has been experiencing record-breaking heat for almost three weeks. Temperatures in some regions have reached temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius. Extreme temperatures and low humidity have significantly increased the risk of forest fires.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska explained that, partly due to climate change, we are currently dealing with much more complex fires than in the past.
Spain is grappling with a wave of wildfires. The military is rushing to help.The situation is by far the most difficult in western and northwestern Spain – primarily in Galicia, Asturias, Extremadura, and the Castile and León region. The provinces most affected by the fires are Caceres (Extremadura), Ourense (Galicia), and León (Castile and León). The fires are also making their mark in Madrid, with over 2,000 hectares lost.
"We are surrounded by flames and smoke. People are scared, many have fled their homes," Mayte Rodriguez, who lives in one of the regions affected by the fires, told Spanish media.
Spain battles wildfires, three people deadAccording to data available to Spanish authorities, the fire has already consumed nearly 100,000 hectares. More than 23,500 people have had to be evacuated. Three people have died so far and at least twenty others have been injured. One of the fatalities was a 36-year-old volunteer who volunteered to help extinguish the blaze in the province of Zamora.
The military has been deployed to help extinguish the fires. Nearly 3,500 soldiers from a special crisis unit are participating in the operations. Fernando Grande-Marlaska has appealed to EU partners for assistance in the fight against the fire. In response, Spain received two firefighting planes from France.
Under Spanish law, regional authorities are responsible for organizing firefighting operations. The central government is only obligated to intervene in cases of major disasters or when disasters affect most of the country.
The President of Castile and Leon, Alfonso Fernández Manueco, and Guillermo Fernández Vara of Extremadura, asked Pedro Sanchez for help and to send more troops.
The Spanish Prime Minister interrupted his vacation in the Canary Islands and returned home to attend, among other events, a meeting with representatives of the services responsible for conducting operations in Castile and León and Galicia, among others. "We still have a few difficult days ahead of us; unfortunately, the weather is not on our side," the Prime Minister admitted during a press conference.
Spain's national meteorological agency Aemet predicts the extreme heatwave will last until Monday, August 18.
Read also: Poznań battles massive fire. Two firefighters hospitalized. Read also: Is summer ending in Poland? Meteorologists reveal what September will bring.
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