EU to send wildfire help to Spain as death toll rises
In an interview with local media outlet Cadena SER on Wednesday, Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said he had requested two Canadair water bomber aircraft to help."At the moment we don't need the two Canadair planes urgently but given the weather forecast, we want to have those planes in our national territory as soon as possible so they can be used, should they be necessary," he said."At this time, the government does not rule out requesting more firefighters," he added.Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in Spain, with a further 700 people evacuated from the western city of Caceres on Wednesday, according to the country's civil guard.Also on Wednesday, a civilian and a volunteer firefighter was killed in the city of León - raising the death toll in the current wildfires to three."We are struck once again by the death of a second volunteer who has lost their life in León. All our love and support go out to their family and friends during this unbearable time," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on social media on Thursday."All government resources are working to address the difficult situation our country is facing. The threat remains extreme," he added.
Spain is among several European countries experiencing scorching temperatures and battling wildfires that have asked the EU for help.Along with Spain, Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Albania have also activated the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism because of fires. As of Thursday, other EU members were sending air craft to these countries, in addition to prepositioned firefighters already helping in Greece.In Greece, wildfires have been burning for a third consecutive day, with the most dangerous fronts on the island of Chios and in the Achaia region of the Peloponnese.So far, 95 people - including firefighters - have been injured. Satellite data from the EU's Copernicus Emergency Management Service shows more than 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) have burned across the country since Tuesday morning.Authorities have issued a red alert for Thursday, warning of very high fire risk in Attica, eastern Central Greece, Evia, the north-eastern Peloponnese, and Thrace.In Chios, the fire's front has stretched for dozens of kilometres, and with limited resources available, many residents have had to be evacuated by sea using coastguard and private vessels.Fires have also raged in Albania and Turkey, with several firefighters injured while tackling the blazes.
EU data shows that roughly 439,000 hectares of land have burnt since the beginning of the year due to wildfires, compared to 187,643 hectares (464,000 acres) last year.A total of 1,628 fires have been detected since the start of the year.Additional reporting by Nikos Papanikolaou in Greece
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
21 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Local people tackle wildfires across southern Europe
People in villages and towns across Europe have been trying to prevent wildfires spreading as intense heat across swathes of the continent stretches firefighting resources thin
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Wales prepares for another heatwave as 'cool spaces' set up
Communities in Wales are setting up "cool spaces" to help people cope with the heat as they prepare for a second blast of hot weather this are set to reach 29C in Cardiff going into the weekend, after highs of 32.8C in the city on means some parts of Wales are set to experience their fourth heatwave of the year, although it will be cooler in north Wales and by the coast. On Thursday Natural Resources Wales declared drought conditions in south east Wales following the driest six-month period in Water said there were no plans for restrictions to be placed on the use of water, however it urged people to take precautions in the heat. At Caldicot's TogetherWorks community centre in Monmouthshire, manager Isla Arendell is trying to encourage people to use the centre as a "cool space" where they can meet others away from the confined warmth in their homes."I suppose it's come off from the warm space during the winter, we're looking at perhaps being sort of like a cool space where people can come in, chill, we've got a lovely community garden people can sit in," she said. More than 100 electric fans have been donated and given out at the centre, which Ms Arendell said had proved "very popular". John Hubbard, 72, who was attending the men's breakfast club on the site, said he has tried hard to keep his home cool. "It's sort of counter to what we normally do in this country, but closing the windows, even if it's really hot, is the thing to do," he said."Unfortunately, our best rooms are our lounge and our bedroom face south, so we get the full blast of the sun."Tony Knight, 81, added: "I like the hot weather as long as it's not too hot. I go out every day for a walk, but if it's too hot I walk around the supermarkets and it's nice." Residents of care homes often have less choice about where they can go to keep Pen-Y-Bont Care home in Abertillery, Blaenau Gwent, staff member Luke Griffiths said the team tried to keep communal spaces cool with air conditioning, and focused on making sure residents stay hydrated. "We think ahead, we do monitor our residents' fluid intake, we set fluid targets for each resident, we encourage regular breaks for our staff members as well and we ensure the ventilation is correct in the building," he said. John Greenland, 65, is a resident at the home and said he struggled in the warm said: "I don't like it. If I'm hot I try and cool down a bit. I have a lot of drinks. I get very hot and I sweat like anything."Martha Lowman, 80, said she did not enjoy seeing predictions of high temperatures on the weather said: "I like to keep in the shade and drink plenty of fluids. It's exhausting really. It's quite unusual for us to have such hot weather."When I lived in Australia, it was normal out there but this is not normal for us." While linking climate change with specific individual extreme weather events can be difficult, scientists say climate change is generally making heatwaves hotter, longer and more to BBC weather forecaster and meteorologist Sabrina Lee, we may have to get used to this sort of weather more said: "We expect our summers to be hotter and drier. When we get heatwaves, they're expected to become more frequent and intense and there's going to be more concerns in the future when it comes to wildfires and droughts."She added we may need to alter how we carry out tasks that we have previously taken for granted."I think the tone of my forecasts will become more serious. We expect to have to adapt in future years, so our daily routines may have to be changed."For example, when we take the dog for a walk, or if you're an outdoor worker, you have to tweak your schedule to avoid some of that heat."For those planning to be outside in the warm weekend weather, Celyn-Mai Clement, 23, from St John Ambulance Cymru, is advising people to keep hydrated and wear a hat and sunglasses to avoid eye damage. "We advise that you cover up using loose light clothing but the best advice is to use sunscreen," she said. On Thursday, environment watchdog Natural Resources Wales said it had recorded the driest six-month period since the drought of 1976. As a result, the threshold has been met to put south east Wales in to drought status."The lack of significant rainfall has taken its toll on the environment, and we are receiving reports of low flows and dry riverbeds in some locations, low groundwater levels as well as reports of fish in distress and algal blooms," said Rhian Thomas, of NRW. "Catchments in south east Wales have been particularly impacted, with rivers receiving very little rainfall in recent months, and the Usk and Wye recording persistently high river temperatures which can threaten fish populations."However, a spokesperson for Welsh Water said there was currently no shortage of drinking water. "We have no concerns about reservoir levels across our operating area, with most at levels close to what we would expect at this time of year," they said. "We are managing the extra demand associated with the dry weather in terms of preserving storage within our network service reservoirs, but at this stage we have no plans to introduce any temporary use bans."
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
At least 56 dead & dozens missing after Himalayan flash flooding sweeps through towns leaving them caked in mud
AT least 56 people have been killed and dozens more are missing after flash floods tore through a remote Himalayan village in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Officials said sudden, torrential rains triggered the disaster in Chasoti, Jammu and Kashmir – the last vehicle-accessible stop on the popular pilgrimage route to the Machail Mata temple. 8 8 8 The flood struck around 11.30am local time on Thursday, destroying the main community kitchen where more than 200 pilgrims were gathered for lunch, as well as a security post, cars, and motorbikes. 'A large number of pilgrims had gathered for lunch and they were washed away,' one official told Reuters. Initial estimates suggest at least 80 people remain missing, with more feared trapped under debris, Sky News reports. Rescue teams have brought around 200 people to safety, but at least 50 of them are badly injured and receiving treatment in local hospitals. 'Army, air force teams have also been activated. Search and rescue operations are underway,' said Ramesh Kumar, the divisional commissioner of Kishtwar district. Local resident Abdul Majeed Bichoo, 75, said he saw the bodies of eight people being pulled from the mud. Chasoti, he said, had become a 'sight of complete devastation from all sides.' He added: 'It was heartbreaking and an unbearable sight. I have not seen this kind of destruction of life and property in my life.' Footage showed terrified pilgrims wading through rising water as it surged through the village. The pilgrimage, which began in July and was due to end on 5 September, has now been suspended. At least 31 nursing home residents left to drown in horror China floods - as Xi's officials make chilling admission 8 8 India's deputy science and technology minister Jitendra Singh confirmed the flooding was caused by a cloudburst – a sudden downpour of more than 100mm of rain in an hour – which is becoming increasingly common in the Himalayas. Omar Abdullah, chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said on X: 'The news is grim and accurate, verified information from the area hit by the cloudburst is slow in arriving.' Prime Minister Narendra Modi said 'the situation is being monitored closely' and offered his prayers to 'all those affected by the cloudburst and flooding.' The tragedy comes just over a week after a similar deluge wiped out an entire village in India's Uttarakhand state. Meanwhile in China, record-breaking floods have killed at least 38 people and forced more than 80,000 from their homes. Torrential downpours battered swathes of northern China late July, including the capital Beijing, in what locals described as a 'once in a hundred years' deluge. 8 8 Dramatic footage showed streets transformed into raging rivers, murky floodwater swallowing homes, cars and highways, and uprooted trees piled high in devastated towns. Beijing's Miyun district, northeast of the city centre, was the worst-hit, with spillways at the Miyun Reservoir roaring at their highest levels since its construction in 1959. Nearby Huairou and Fangshan districts were also inundated, while more than 130 villages have lost power. In the neighbouring city of Tianjin, over 10,000 people were evacuated, and in Hebei province a landslide killed eight people in a village near Chengde, with four still missing. On social media, residents posted anxious messages about being unable to contact loved ones in the mountainous Xinglong county. Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged officials to prepare for 'worst-case scenarios' and speed up the relocation of residents in danger zones. The government has pledged 350 million yuan (£42m) for disaster relief in nine affected regions, plus a separate 200 million yuan for Beijing alone. 8
