Spain deploys 500 more troops to battle wildfires during extended heat wave
The decision to add to the more than 1,400 troops already on wildfire duty came as authorities struggled to contain forest blazes, especially in the northwestern Galicia region, and awaited the arrival of promised aircraft reinforcements from other European countries.
Firefighters are tackling 12 major wildfires in Galicia, all of them near the city of Ourense, the head of the Galician regional government Alfonso Rueda told a press conference with Sanchez.
'Homes are still under threat so we have lockdowns in place and are carrying out evacuations,' Rueda said. Galicia has been battling the spreading flames for more than a week.
Temperatures in Spain could reach 45 degrees Celsius in some areas Sunday, the Spanish national weather agency AEMET said. On Saturday, the maximum temperature was 44.7 C in the southern city of Cordoba, it said.
'This Sunday, when extraordinarily high temperatures are expected, the danger of wildfires is extreme in most of the country,' AEMET said on the social platform X.
The fires in Spain this year have burned 158,000 hectares, according to the European Union's European Forest Fire Information System. That is an area roughly as big as metropolitan London.
Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service. Scientists say that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness in parts of Europe, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires.
Spain was expecting the arrival of two Dutch water-dumping planes that were to join aircraft from France and Italy already helping Spanish authorities under a European cooperation agreement.
Firefighters from other countries are also expected to arrive in the region in coming days, Spain's Civil Protection Agency chief Virginia Barcones told public broadcaster RTVE.
National rail operator Renfe said it suspended Madrid-Galicia high-speed train services scheduled for Sunday due to the fires.
Galician authorities advised people to wear face masks and limit their time spent outdoors to avoid inhaling smoke and ash.
Portugal is set for cooler weather in coming days after a spate of severe woodland fires. A national state of alert due to wildfires was enacted Aug. 2 and was due to end Sunday, a day before two Swedish firefighting planes were to arrive.
As in Spain, Portugal's resources have been stretched. On Sunday, more than 4,000 firefighters and more than 1,300 vehicles were deployed, as well as 17 aircraft, the country's Civil Protection Agency said.
The scorched area of forest in Portugal so far this year is 17 times higher than in 2024, at around 139,000 hectares, according to preliminary calculations by the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests, a government body.
Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Albania have also requested help from the EU's firefighting force in recent days to deal with forest fires. The force has already been activated as many times this year as in all of last year's summer fire season.
In Turkey, where recent wildfires have killed 19 people, parts of the historic region that includes memorials to World War I's Gallipoli campaign were evacuated Sunday as blazes threatened homes in the country's northwest.
Six villages were evacuated as a precautionary measure, the governor of Canakkale province, Omer Toraman, said.
Some 1,300 firefighting personnel backed by 30 aircraft were battling the blaze, according to the General Directorate of Forestry.
A wildfire on the peninsula to the north of the Dardanelles Strait led to the closure of visitor facilities at Gallipoli, the site's management said. The area is dotted with cemeteries, memorials and other remnants of battles waged between Ottoman and Allied troops in 1915.
Turkey has been struck by hundreds of fires since late June, fueled by record-breaking temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds. (AP)
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Korea Herald
13 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Deadly wildfires rage across Spain as record area of land burnt
MADRID (AFP) -- 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 neighbouring Portugal have been particularly affected by forest fires fuelled 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 Agence France-Presse TV 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 of land -- the equivalent of nearly half a million soccer fields -- have been destroyed this year in Spain, setting a new national record, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. 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. 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 heatwave, which has seen temperatures hit 45 degrees Celsius 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.
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
Spain deploys 500 more troops to battle wildfires during extended heat wave
Spain was deploying a further 500 soldiers to battle wildfires that have torn through parched woodland during a prolonged spell of scorching weather, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Sunday. The decision to add to the more than 1,400 troops already on wildfire duty came as authorities struggled to contain forest blazes, especially in the northwestern Galicia region, and awaited the arrival of promised aircraft reinforcements from other European countries. Firefighters are tackling 12 major wildfires in Galicia, all of them near the city of Ourense, the head of the Galician regional government Alfonso Rueda told a press conference with Sanchez. 'Homes are still under threat so we have lockdowns in place and are carrying out evacuations,' Rueda said. Galicia has been battling the spreading flames for more than a week. Temperatures in Spain could reach 45 degrees Celsius in some areas Sunday, the Spanish national weather agency AEMET said. On Saturday, the maximum temperature was 44.7 C in the southern city of Cordoba, it said. 'This Sunday, when extraordinarily high temperatures are expected, the danger of wildfires is extreme in most of the country,' AEMET said on the social platform X. The fires in Spain this year have burned 158,000 hectares, according to the European Union's European Forest Fire Information System. That is an area roughly as big as metropolitan London. Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service. Scientists say that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness in parts of Europe, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires. Spain was expecting the arrival of two Dutch water-dumping planes that were to join aircraft from France and Italy already helping Spanish authorities under a European cooperation agreement. Firefighters from other countries are also expected to arrive in the region in coming days, Spain's Civil Protection Agency chief Virginia Barcones told public broadcaster RTVE. National rail operator Renfe said it suspended Madrid-Galicia high-speed train services scheduled for Sunday due to the fires. Galician authorities advised people to wear face masks and limit their time spent outdoors to avoid inhaling smoke and ash. Portugal is set for cooler weather in coming days after a spate of severe woodland fires. A national state of alert due to wildfires was enacted Aug. 2 and was due to end Sunday, a day before two Swedish firefighting planes were to arrive. As in Spain, Portugal's resources have been stretched. On Sunday, more than 4,000 firefighters and more than 1,300 vehicles were deployed, as well as 17 aircraft, the country's Civil Protection Agency said. The scorched area of forest in Portugal so far this year is 17 times higher than in 2024, at around 139,000 hectares, according to preliminary calculations by the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests, a government body. Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Albania have also requested help from the EU's firefighting force in recent days to deal with forest fires. The force has already been activated as many times this year as in all of last year's summer fire season. In Turkey, where recent wildfires have killed 19 people, parts of the historic region that includes memorials to World War I's Gallipoli campaign were evacuated Sunday as blazes threatened homes in the country's northwest. Six villages were evacuated as a precautionary measure, the governor of Canakkale province, Omer Toraman, said. Some 1,300 firefighting personnel backed by 30 aircraft were battling the blaze, according to the General Directorate of Forestry. A wildfire on the peninsula to the north of the Dardanelles Strait led to the closure of visitor facilities at Gallipoli, the site's management said. The area is dotted with cemeteries, memorials and other remnants of battles waged between Ottoman and Allied troops in 1915. Turkey has been struck by hundreds of fires since late June, fueled by record-breaking temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds. (AP)
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
Summer heat returns to continue throughout the week
Though temperatures seemed relatively cooler last week, hot and humid conditions returned once again over the weekend, which are projected to continue throughout the week. With the return of hot weather conditions, heat wave advisories returned in most parts of South Korea. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, heat wave advisories were issued in most parts of the country, excluding mountainous regions, as of 2 p.m., Sunday, as nationwide apparent temperatures ranged between 31 to 36 degrees Celsius. Heat wave watches and warnings in Korea are issued when the maximum apparent temperature is expected to remain above 33 C and 35 C, respectively, for two or more consecutive days. Heat wave watches were issued in most parts of the country on Sunday, including the Greater Seoul region, which includes Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, as well as inland parts of Gangwon Province and North and South Chungcheong provinces. In the southern regions of Korea, including the North and South Jeolla provinces, North and South Gyeongsang provinces and Jeju Island, heat wave warnings were issued. As of 2 p.m., Sunday, Seoul saw temperatures reach as high as 33 C, while Boseong-gun in South Jeolla Province and Ulsan saw temperatures reach close to 35 C. According to the KMA, such intense temperatures are expected to continue into the new week, accompanied by tropical nights and continued heat wave watches. In Seoul, apparent temperatures could feel as high as 33 C throughout the week and temperatures may not drop below 28 C, even at night. In southern regions, temperatures could reach as high as 36 C. The prolonged heat is due to the return of the dual high-pressure system that caused extreme heat near the end of July. Since Friday and Saturday, both the Tibetan high-pressure system and the North Pacific high-pressure system have been covering the Korean Peninsula, creating a 'heat dome' effect that traps the heat in the atmosphere. 'However, as the sun's altitude is lower than it was in July and solar radiation is relatively weaker, the intensity of the heat wave is expected to be somewhat lower,' the KMA said. Though subject to change, the KMA added that rain may fall particularly in central parts of Korea and the Greater Seoul region on Wednesday, lowering overall temperatures. Depending on rainfall, the pressure systems surrounding the Korean Peninsula could change, possibly bringing lower temperatures.
