logo
In photos: Wildfires scorch Spanish land amid soaring temperatures of nearly 40 degrees

In photos: Wildfires scorch Spanish land amid soaring temperatures of nearly 40 degrees

The Journal2 days ago
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE in Spain have been evacuated to escape wildfires burning across large areas of land.
A volunteer firefighter has died in the city of Léon in the northwest of the country, while another man died after suffering serious burns in the suburb of Tres Cantos north of Madrid.
The country has been experiencing an intense heatwave since last week, enabling dozens of wildfires that have been further fuelled by strong winds.
The Spanish meteorological agency AEMET has issued high temperature warnings for dozens of towns and cities, with temperatures expected to reach as high as 39 degrees Celsius today.
Advertisement
Extreme weather events and impacts like wildfires are expected to become more frequent and more intense as climate change destabilises Earth's climate and creates conditions that are conducive to wildfires and other events.
Photographs captured over the last few days give an insight into the scale of the wildfires, the effects, and the ongoing firefighting efforts.
Firefighters working to extinguish the remains of a forest fire that reached the Tres Cantos neighborhood north of Madrid.
Marcos del Mazo / Alamy Live News
Marcos del Mazo / Alamy Live News / Alamy Live News
Emergency services work to extinguish a fire in Seixalbo, Ourense, where a Level Two emergency was declared at the provincial level in Ourense over fires that burned around 4,330 hectares
Rosa Veiga / AP/Alamy
Rosa Veiga / AP/Alamy / AP/Alamy
Smoke and ashes seen in the wake of the Tres Cantos fires
Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Related Reads
Talks on a treaty to reduce plastic pollution blocked by oil-producing countries
The Great Barrier Reef has seen its largest annual coral loss in at least four decades
People waiting at the busy Chamartin Clara Campoamor train station in Madrid. Train traffic was temporarily cut off between Santiago and Ourense due to a fire in the vicinity of the track in the city of As Burgas, and on the Galicia-Madrid corridor due to the fire between Taboadela and Ourense.
Gabriel Luengas / Europa Press / Alamy
Gabriel Luengas / Europa Press / Alamy / Europa Press / Alamy
People try to get the edges of a fire under control in the area of Abejera, Zamora, Castilla y León.
Emilio Fraile / AP/Alamy
Emilio Fraile / AP/Alamy / AP/Alamy
The president of the Junta de Castilla y León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco (left), meets with members of the regional executive to discuss the impacts of the fires in the region.
Claudia Alba / Europa Press/Alamy
Claudia Alba / Europa Press/Alamy / Europa Press/Alamy
Farmland burned by the fire in Calera y Chozas, Toledo.
Juanma Jimenez / Europa Press/Alamy
Juanma Jimenez / Europa Press/Alamy / Europa Press/Alamy
A cow pictured in a scorched field after the fire near Tres Cantos north of Madrid.
Marcos del Mazo / Alamy Live News
Marcos del Mazo / Alamy Live News / Alamy Live News
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
Learn More
Support The Journal
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Map reveals hottest locations in UK this weekend as thousands of Brits pack out beaches to soak up 29C rays
Map reveals hottest locations in UK this weekend as thousands of Brits pack out beaches to soak up 29C rays

The Irish Sun

timean hour ago

  • The Irish Sun

Map reveals hottest locations in UK this weekend as thousands of Brits pack out beaches to soak up 29C rays

See the Met Office map below HOT SPOTS Map reveals hottest locations in UK this weekend as thousands of Brits pack out beaches to soak up 29C rays BRITS are set to pack out beaches and soak up the sunshine this weekend as temperatures reach 29C. The Met Office have revealed which parts of the country will likely be the hottest. 5 Sunbathers enjoying the scorching hot sun at Hive Beach in Dorset last month Credit: Alamy 5 The seaside resort of Weymouth was also packed out by beachgoers Credit: Alamy Advertisement 5 Brits have been warned to prepare for the 29C temperatures set for the weekend Credit: Alamy It follows a hot spell of warm weather that has been experienced in recent days, as temperatures reached over 30C in parts of the UK. The weekend is expected to be dry and sunny for most of the UK. In the south-west of England, Saturday is expected to get to around 30C and Sunday 29C. Advertisement Making the most of the summer rays, Brits have been seen lining beaches and cooling off in the sea already this week. The Met have suggested it will be particularly warm in the west on Saturday at around 27C, and cooler in the east at 24C. The far southwest is also likely to be unseasonably windy. Sunday is set to be fine and sunny for most of the country. Advertisement Temperatures are likely to be very warm, particularly on the west coast around Cardiff, and cooler for the eastern costs. It will, however, be cloudy at times along the North Sea coasts. Yellow warnings have been put in place for various areas of the country by the UK Health Security Agency. UK Basks in Glorious Sunshine: Thousands Flock to Beaches as Heatwave Hits This includes Yorkshire and the Humber, the East and West Midlands, London and the South East, the South West and the east of England. Heat health alerts have also been extended into next week for much of England. Advertisement The hot weather has resulted in a surge of vehicle breakdowns, the RAC reports. They have received 10 per cent more call outs this week when compared to the same period of Monday to Thursday last week. 5 Saturday is set to be hot for most of the UK, particularly in the west 5 Temperatures are similar for Sunday, with weather to be fine and sunny RAC breakdown spokeswoman, Alice Simpson, made a warning to drivers ahead of the heat expected this weekend: "Take every precaution possible to avoid getting stranded at the side of the road. Advertisement 'When temperatures rise, the heat of the air inside tyres does the same, so it's especially important to check the pressure and condition before a long journey. 'This is especially crucial if your car is parked on the street – rather than in a garage – where it's directly exposed to the sun. 'Anyone heading to a beach or a coastal location should also prepare for the conditions by checking their vehicle's coolant level in advance.' The yellow warnings are set to remain in place until 6pm on Monday, August 18. A heatwave in the UK is met when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days, with temperature values meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature thresholds. Advertisement Across the north and west of the UK this is 25C, and across Greater London and the Home Counties, 28C.

Extreme fire risk warning issued for Spain after seven die
Extreme fire risk warning issued for Spain after seven die

Irish Examiner

time2 hours ago

  • Irish Examiner

Extreme fire risk warning issued for Spain after seven die

Spain battled 14 major fires driven by high winds and aggravated by heat on Friday, as authorities warned of "unfavourable conditions" to tackle flames that have already killed seven people and burned an area the size of London, England. Firefighters have been battling to put out blazes across southern Europe in one of the worst summers for wildfires in 20 years. A nearly two-week heatwave and southerly winds are worsening the situation in Spain, Virginia Barcones, the director general of emergency services, said on Friday. "In the western part of the country the situation is extremely worrying," Barcones said on RTVE. In Galicia, several fires converged to form a large blaze, forcing the closure of highways and rail services to the region. As fire spread from Galicia's Ourense province to neighbouring Zamora, provoking evacuations, some stayed behind to protect their homes. People run by a burnt area during a wildfire near the village of Larouco, in the province of Ourense, Spain, on Wednesday. Picture: Miguel Riopa/AFP Spain's national weather agency Aemet warned of extreme fire risk in the north and west of the country, as temperatures are expected to reach up to 40 degrees Celsius on the north coast. A fire near Molezuelas de la Carballeda in the Castile and Leon region — one of the largest in Spain's history — had not advanced since Thursday. That wildfire had, at one point, been spreading by 4,000ha/h, according to national government representative Eduardo Diego. Summer holidays The fires caused the closure of more than half a dozen roads on a busy bank holiday weekend, leaving travellers stuck at the height of summer holidays. Wildfires have burned more than 157,000ha in Spain so far this year, almost double the annual average, according to the European Union's Forest Fire Information Service. In neighbouring Portugal, meanwhile, thousands of firefighters were battling five large blazes in central and northern parts of the country — with one fire in Trancoso, some 350km northeast of Lisbon, now raging for six days. Around 300 residents were evacuated on Friday from the village of Covanca near Piodao, an area of central Portugal popular with tourists, after a wildfire broke out on Wednesday. Portugal has activated the EU mechanism for assistance and requested four Canadair planes, according to civil protection commander Mario Silvestre.

Spain, Portugal and Greece fight wildfires as heatwave expected to last for days
Spain, Portugal and Greece fight wildfires as heatwave expected to last for days

Irish Examiner

time7 hours ago

  • Irish Examiner

Spain, Portugal and Greece fight wildfires as heatwave expected to last for days

Firefighters in Spain, Portugal and Greece are continuing to battle wildfires on a public holiday in all three countries as persistent hot, dry conditions challenged efforts to contain the blazes. Spain is fighting 14 major fires, according to Virginia Barcones, general director of emergency services. Temperatures were expected to climb over the weekend. This recent photo taken from a French Canadair water bomber by the Securite Civile shows a wildfire in Spain (Securite Civile via AP) 'Today will once again be a very tough day, with an extreme risk of new fires,' Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on X. The national weather agency AEMET warned of extreme fire risk in most of the country, including where the largest blazes were burning in the north and west. A heatwave which brought temperatures exceeding 40C on several days this month was expected to last until Monday. Fires in the Galicia region forced the closure of several highways. The high speed rail line connecting it to Spain's capital Madrid remained suspended. The fires in Spain this year have burned 158,000 hectares or 610 square miles, according to the European Union's European Forest Fire Information System. That is an area roughly as big as metropolitan London. A fire approaches a farm during a wildfire in Santa Baia De Montes, north-western Spain (Lalo R Villar/AP) In both Spain and Portugal it was the Feast of the Assumption, a major Catholic holiday usually marked by family gatherings and religious processions. In Portugal, nearly 4,000 firefighters were battling fires on Friday. Seven major fires were active. Authorities extended the state of alert until Sunday, amid high temperatures expected to last through the weekend. A wildfire in Greece burned out of control for a fourth day on the island of Chios, prompting several more overnight evacuations. Two water-dropping planes and two helicopters were operating in the north of the island in the eastern Aegean Sea, where local authorities said a lull in high winds was helping firefighters early on Friday. Following a series of large fires in western Greece earlier this week, the fire service was on alert on Friday outside Athens and nearby areas in the south of the country where adverse weather conditions elevated the fire risk. The spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew expressed solidarity on Friday with the victims of wildfires in southern Europe during prayers for the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, an important religious holiday for Orthodox Christians.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store