Deadly wildfires rage across Spain as record area of land burnt
By Alfons Luna and Levi Fernandes
Thousands of firefighters backed by soldiers and water-bombing aircraft on Monday battled over 20 major wildfires raging across western Spain, where officials say a record area of land has already been burnt.
Spain and neighboring Portugal have been particularly affected by forest fires fueled by heatwaves and drought blamed on climate change that have hit southern Europe.
Two firefighters were killed on Sunday -- one in each country, both in road accidents -- taking the death toll to two in Portugal and four in Spain.
Spain's civil protection chief Virginia Barcones told public television TVE that 23 blazes were classified as "operational level two", meaning they pose a direct threat to nearby communities.
The fires, now entering their second week, are concentrated in the western regions of Castile and Leon, Galicia and Extremadura, where thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes.
Residents said they were frustrated with what they regarded as poor preparation and limited resources.
"No one's shown up here, nobody," Patricia Vila, 42, told AFPTV in the village of Vilamartin de Valdeorras in Ourense province of Galicia. "Not a single damn helicopter, not one plane, has come to drop water and cool things down a bit.'
Signs of the fires were everywhere in the province, from ashen forests and blackened soil to destroyed homes, with thick smoke forcing people to wear masks.
Firefighters battled the flames as locals in just shorts and T-shirts used water from hoses and buckets to try to stop the spread.
More than 343,000 hectares (848,000 acres) of land -- the equivalent of nearly half a million football pitches -- have been destroyed this year in Spain, setting a new national record, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).
The previous record of 306,000 hectares was set in the same period three years ago.
Spain is being helped with firefighting aircraft from France, Italy, Slovakia and the Netherlands, while Portugal is receiving air support from Sweden and Morocco.
But the size and severity of the fires and the intensity of the smoke -- visible from space -- were making "airborne action" difficult," Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles told TVE.
"It's a very difficult, very complicated situation," she added.
Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes since the wildfires began last week.
"We had to run away because the fire was coming in from everywhere—everywhere, above us, below us, all around," said Isidoro, 83, in Vilamartin de Valdeorras.
Across the border in Portugal, some 2,000 firefighters were deployed across the north and centre of the country on Monday, with about half of them concentrated in the town of Arganil.
Some 216,000 hectares of land have been destroyed across Portugal since the start of the year.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said the country had endured 24 days of weather conditions of "unprecedented severity" with high temperature and strong winds.
"We are at war, and we must triumph in this fight," he added.
Officials in both countries expressed hope that the weather would turn to help tackle the fires.
Spain's meteorological agency said the heatwave, which has seen temperatures hit 45C in parts of the country, was coming to an end.
Officials in Castile and Leon said a firefighter died on Sunday night when the water truck he was driving flipped over on a steep forest road and down a slope, days after two other volunteer firefighters were killed in the region.
A Romanian employee of a riding school north of Madrid lost his life trying to protect horses from the fire.
In Portugal, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said a firefighter died on Sunday in a traffic accident that left two colleagues seriously injured.
A former mayor in the eastern town of Guarda died on Friday while trying to tackle a fire.
© 2025 AFP
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Japan Times
2 days ago
- Japan Times
Spain and Portugal continue to battle deadly wildfires
Thousands of firefighters backed by soldiers and water-bombing aircraft on Monday battled over 20 major wildfires raging across western Spain, where officials say a record area of land has already been burnt. Spain and neighboring Portugal have been particularly affected by forest fires fueled by heat waves and drought blamed on climate change that have hit southern Europe. Two firefighters were killed on Sunday — one in each country, both in road accidents — taking the death toll to two in Portugal and four in Spain. Spain's civil protection chief Virginia Barcones told public television TVE that 23 blazes were classified as "operational level two," meaning they pose a direct threat to nearby communities. The fires, now entering their second week, are concentrated in the western regions of Castile and Leon, Galicia and Extremadura, where thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes. Residents said they were frustrated with what they regarded as poor preparation and limited resources. "No one's shown up here, nobody," Patricia Vila, 42, said in the village of Vilamartin de Valdeorras in Ourense province of Galicia. "Not a single damn helicopter, not one plane, has come to drop water and cool things down a bit." 'Fire everywhere' Signs of the fires were everywhere in the province, from ashen forests and blackened soil to destroyed homes, with thick smoke forcing people to wear masks. Firefighters battled the flames as locals in just shorts and T-shirts used water from hoses and buckets to try to stop the spread. More than 343,000 hectares of land — the equivalent of nearly half a million football pitches — have been destroyed this year in Spain, setting a new national record, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). The previous record of 306,000 hectares was set in the same period three years ago. Spain is being helped with firefighting aircraft from France, Italy, Slovakia and the Netherlands, while Portugal is receiving air support from Sweden and Morocco. But the size and severity of the fires and the intensity of the smoke — visible from space — were making "airborne action" difficult, Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles told TVE. "It's a very difficult, very complicated situation," she added. Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes since the wildfires began last week. "We had to run away because the fire was coming in from everywhere — everywhere, above us, below us, all around," said Isidoro, 83, in Vilamartin de Valdeorras. 'At war' Across the border in Portugal, some 2,000 firefighters were deployed across the north and center of the country on Monday, with about half of them concentrated in the town of Arganil. Some 216,000 hectares of land have been destroyed across Portugal since the start of the year. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said the country had endured 24 days of weather conditions of "unprecedented severity" with high temperature and strong winds. "We are at war, and we must triumph in this fight," he added. Officials in both countries expressed hope that the weather would turn to help tackle the fires. Spain's meteorological agency said the heat wave, which has seen temperatures hit 45 C in parts of the country, was coming to an end. Officials in Castile and Leon said a firefighter died on Sunday night when the water truck he was driving flipped over on a steep forest road and down a slope, days after two other volunteer firefighters were killed in the region. A Romanian employee of a riding school north of Madrid lost his life trying to protect horses from the fire. In Portugal, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said a firefighter died on Sunday in a traffic accident that left two colleagues seriously injured. A former mayor in the eastern town of Guarda died on Friday while trying to tackle a fire.
Japan Today
3 days ago
- Japan Today
Deadly wildfires rage across Spain as record area of land burnt
Residents have been forced to flee as the fires spread to land and property By Alfons Luna and Levi Fernandes Thousands of firefighters backed by soldiers and water-bombing aircraft on Monday battled over 20 major wildfires raging across western Spain, where officials say a record area of land has already been burnt. Spain and neighboring Portugal have been particularly affected by forest fires fueled by heatwaves and drought blamed on climate change that have hit southern Europe. Two firefighters were killed on Sunday -- one in each country, both in road accidents -- taking the death toll to two in Portugal and four in Spain. Spain's civil protection chief Virginia Barcones told public television TVE that 23 blazes were classified as "operational level two", meaning they pose a direct threat to nearby communities. The fires, now entering their second week, are concentrated in the western regions of Castile and Leon, Galicia and Extremadura, where thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes. Residents said they were frustrated with what they regarded as poor preparation and limited resources. "No one's shown up here, nobody," Patricia Vila, 42, told AFPTV in the village of Vilamartin de Valdeorras in Ourense province of Galicia. "Not a single damn helicopter, not one plane, has come to drop water and cool things down a bit.' Signs of the fires were everywhere in the province, from ashen forests and blackened soil to destroyed homes, with thick smoke forcing people to wear masks. Firefighters battled the flames as locals in just shorts and T-shirts used water from hoses and buckets to try to stop the spread. More than 343,000 hectares (848,000 acres) of land -- the equivalent of nearly half a million football pitches -- have been destroyed this year in Spain, setting a new national record, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). The previous record of 306,000 hectares was set in the same period three years ago. Spain is being helped with firefighting aircraft from France, Italy, Slovakia and the Netherlands, while Portugal is receiving air support from Sweden and Morocco. But the size and severity of the fires and the intensity of the smoke -- visible from space -- were making "airborne action" difficult," Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles told TVE. "It's a very difficult, very complicated situation," she added. Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes since the wildfires began last week. "We had to run away because the fire was coming in from everywhere—everywhere, above us, below us, all around," said Isidoro, 83, in Vilamartin de Valdeorras. Across the border in Portugal, some 2,000 firefighters were deployed across the north and centre of the country on Monday, with about half of them concentrated in the town of Arganil. Some 216,000 hectares of land have been destroyed across Portugal since the start of the year. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said the country had endured 24 days of weather conditions of "unprecedented severity" with high temperature and strong winds. "We are at war, and we must triumph in this fight," he added. Officials in both countries expressed hope that the weather would turn to help tackle the fires. Spain's meteorological agency said the heatwave, which has seen temperatures hit 45C in parts of the country, was coming to an end. Officials in Castile and Leon said a firefighter died on Sunday night when the water truck he was driving flipped over on a steep forest road and down a slope, days after two other volunteer firefighters were killed in the region. A Romanian employee of a riding school north of Madrid lost his life trying to protect horses from the fire. In Portugal, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said a firefighter died on Sunday in a traffic accident that left two colleagues seriously injured. A former mayor in the eastern town of Guarda died on Friday while trying to tackle a fire. © 2025 AFP
Yomiuri Shimbun
4 days ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Spain Battles 20 Major Wildfires Amid Scorching Heat, Deploys More Troops
VILLARDEVÓS, Aug 17 (Reuters) – Scorching heat hampered efforts to contain 20 major wildfires across Spain on Sunday, prompting the government to deploy an additional 500 troops from the military emergency unit to support firefighting operations. In the northwestern region of Galicia, several fires have converged to form a large blaze, forcing the closure of highways and rail services to the region. Southern Europe is experiencing one of its worst wildfire seasons in two decades, with Spain among the hardest-hit countries. In the past week alone, fires there have claimed three lives and burned more than 115,000 hectares, while neighbouring Portugal also battles widespread blazes. Temperatures are expected to reach up to 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in some areas on Sunday, Spanish national weather agency AEMET said. 'There are still some challenging days ahead and, unfortunately, the weather is not on our side,' Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told a news conference in Ourense, one of the most affected areas. He announced an increase in military reinforcements, bringing the total number of troops deployed across Spain to 1,900. Virginia Barcones, director general of emergency services, told Spanish public TV temperatures were expected to drop from Tuesday, but for now the weather conditions were 'very adverse'. 'Today there are extremely high temperatures with an extreme risk of fires, which complicates the firefighting efforts,' Barcones said. VILLAGERS RESORT TO BUCKETS In the village of Villardevos in Galicia, desperate neighbours have organised to fight the flames on their own with water buckets as the area was left without electricity to power water pumps. 'The fireplanes come in from all sides, but they don't come here,' Basilio Rodriguez, a resident, told Reuters on Saturday. Added Lorea Pascual, another local resident: 'It's insurmountable, it couldn't be worse'. Interior ministry data show 27 people have been arrested and 92 were under investigation for suspected arson since June. In neighbouring Portugal, wildfires have burnt some 155,000 hectares of vegetation so far this year, according to provisional data from the ICNF forestry protection institute – three times the average for this period between 2006 to 2024. About half of that area burned just in the past three days. Thousands of firefighters were battling eight large blazes in central and northern Portugal, the largest of them near Piodao, a scenic, mountainous area popular with tourists. Another blaze in Trancoso, further north, has now been raging for eight days. A smaller fire a few miles east claimed a local resident's life on Friday – the first this season.
