Europe burns: 'Deliberate' wildfires force evacuations of 1,400 people in Spain as uncontrolled blazes injure several in Portugal and Mount Vesuvius is closed to tourists in Italy

Daily Mail​

5 days ago

More than 1,400 people were forced to flee their homes yesterday in north-west Spain as wildfires spread fast, driven by blazing temperatures and fierce winds.
In and around Carucedo, roughly 400 residents were relocated, while another 700 were evacuated from towns close to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Las Medulas, once a Roman gold-mining location famed for its intense red terrain.
Castile and León's regional leader, Alfonso Manueco, said arson is suspected in some instances.
He wrote on X: 'We will be relentless with the perpetrators of these attacks against the lives and safety of people and our historical and natural heritage.' He also said the authorities will be 'merciless' with the arsonists.
Spain's Military Emergency Unit has sent in nearly 60 troops and 20 vehicles to bolster a massive firefighting push that involves aircraft and bulldozers carving firebreaks.
Fire crews warned that the heat, parched air, and shifting strong winds are hampering their efforts. Some homes have now been completely burned down, according to reports.
Officials say the most troubling blaze is the one in Llamas de Cabera, where there were traffic closures on motorways due to reduced visibility from the smoke and dust.
The flames are also raging in Galicia and Navarre as a second week of relentless heat continues. In Orallo and Fasgar, the fires have been given a Potential Severity Index of 1 for now. But in Ourense, raging flames have devoured 1,000 hectares of land.
Forecasters reportedly failed to pick up on the cause of the devastation - dry storms, which come without rain and lots of lightning. It is also feared that latent lightning could make the situation worse.
That happens when discharge from electricity from lightning is trapped in trees. Heat or wind could then cause a spark, leading to more wildfires.
Thermometers have neared 40C across broad swathes of the country, prompting civil protection officials to raise wildfire risk to high or extreme.
In Portugal's Vila Real, the mayor sounded the alarm over mounting resources to tackle a sweeping fire.
Alexandre Favaios said: 'We are under enormous attack, with absolutely incalculable losses, the resources are clearly insufficient given the scale of what we are experiencing.'
A blaze that began on August 2 in Sirarelhos was only declared contained on Wednesday, but reignited again on Saturday night and now threatens Relva, Borbela, and Lordelo near Vila Real.
The mayor noted that the Vila Real district was already on red heat alert over the weekend, and that more ground units should have been in place.
José Armando, president of the Parish Council of Borbela and Lamas de Olo, reported that at 6.15 pm, the village of Relva, on the slopes of Serra do Alvão, was among the most vulnerable.
In Trancoso, four towns lie in the fire's path across four active fronts, while six people, including three firefighters, have been reported injured so far.
Eleven people have also been treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.
Operations commander Nuno Seixas told local media: 'Besides Seixas, to the north of the fire, there are villages affected by the fire, and security forces are taking whatever measures they deem necessary, whether to confine them to the village or to evacuate them.'
The at-risk settlements include Rio de Mel, Rio de Moinhos, Venda do Cepo, and Celintrão, according to the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority.
There are now more than 600 firefighters on the ground battling the blaze, according to reports on Monday morning.
A spokesperson for the Beiras and Serra da Estrela Civil Protection Sub-regional Command warned that 'The fire is active again and is heading towards some isolated areas, with scattered houses.'
Meanwhile, in Italy, tourist access to Mount Vesuvius has been halted as firefighters and military teams battle a significant wildfire on its slopes near Naples.
The national fire service is fighting the blaze with 12 ground crews and six Canadair water-bombing planes, the Campania region said.
Drones have been utilised alongside reinforcements from other areas, as attempts continue to starve the fire across 500 hectares in Vesuvius National Park.
Park officials stated: 'For safety reasons and to facilitate firefighting and cleanup operations in the affected areas, all activities along the Vesuvius National Park trail network are suspended until further notice.
Smoke has drifted all the way to the nearby archaeological site of Pompeii, though it remains open to visitors.
Rising summer heatwaves linked to global warming are leaving European regions increasingly vulnerable to wildfires. Authorities in France have also said they are battling blazes that have killed one person and injured 25.
Temperatures are expected to rise above 40C. At 11 am local time, some regions had already recorded up to 39C, according to Météo France. The country's health minister, Yannick Neuder, called Monday a 'high-risk day' and said the next 48 hours would be 'particularly difficult.'
In July, huge blazes saw several houses burnt to the ground and two elderly people killed in Cyprus. There have also been out-of-control fires in Turkey, Albania, and Bulgaria.
At the end of July, beachgoers on Italy's Sardinia Island had to be evacuated with boats as paths to flee were blocked by raging fires, and cars were set alight.