Wildfires force evacuations in Spain, Portugal as heatwave intensifies

News18

6 hours ago

Madrid [Spain], August 18 (ANI): Wildfires gripping Spain and Portugal forced mass evacuations and the deployment of thousands of emergency personnel as a heatwave continues to ravage the Iberian Peninsula, Euro News reported.Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited regions affected by forest fires in Ourense and Leon to meet with the heads of emergency and coordination teams. He was accompanied by Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, according to Euro News.In a press conference, Sanchez said 'the next hours and days are critical" and that the government would provide the help needed to extinguish the fires, including 500 more military personnel. He added that the ongoing operations by emergency personnel were 'probably" the largest European civil protection mobilisation in history.Sanchez also said the Spanish government would propose a state pact to adapt the country to climate change. As part of the visit, he met with Galician regional president Alfonso Rueda and the government delegate in Castille and Leon, Nicanor Sen, and is set to visit other affected parts of Spain next week, Euro News reported.High temperatures in Spain have sparked multiple wildfires of particular concern in Galicia, Leon and Caceres. Local media report up to 13 active blazes in the region. The wildfires have already burned more than 115,000 hectares of land, including over 50,000 in Galicia alone – most in the province of Ourense, the hardest hit so far.According to the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, over 13,600 members of the State Security Forces have been deployed to fight the fires. Around 575 residents of several towns in Salamanca were evacuated due to the blazes, Euro News reported.Temperatures in Spain are forecast to remain very high until Monday, possibly exceeding 44 degrees Celsius in some areas, the Spanish state meteorological agency said.In neighbouring Portugal, more than 3,200 firefighters battled nine major fires on Sunday, most concentrated in the towns of Arganil and Satão. Mainland Portugal has been hit by multiple wildfires since July, particularly in the North and Central regions.According to provisional official data, 139,000 hectares of land have been burned in Portugal this year — 17 times more than during the same period in 2024, Euro News reported. Almost half of this was consumed in just two days this week. The fires have caused the death of at least one person and left several injured.On Friday, the Portuguese government requested assistance from the EU's civil protection mechanism, a firefighting force European countries in need can call upon. Two Fire Boss aircraft are expected to arrive on Monday to reinforce firefighting efforts, according to local media. (ANI)