Spain Deploys 500 More Troops To Contain 20 Major Wildfires Amid Extreme Heat
Spain deployed 500 more soldiers to combat 20 major wildfires, which continue to threaten homes in Galicia.
At least 500 more soldiers were deployed to battle 20 major wildfires in Spain, which have torn through parched woodland during a prolonged spell of scorching weather, and have killed two, including a firefighter.
The move to add more troops 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 Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
'Homes are still under threat, so we have lockdowns in place and are carrying out evacuations," the Associated Press quoted Rueda as saying.
Galicia has been battling the spreading flames for more than a week.
According to a Spanish national weather agency, temperatures in Spain could reach 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in some areas. On Saturday, the maximum temperature was 44.7°C (112.46 F) in the southern city of Cordoba, it said.
Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service.
AP quoted scientists as saying 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.
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