
‘Very high' fire risk remains in Spain's northwest
The situation is particularly critical in northwestern Spain, especially the Galicia region, where fire risk remains 'very high or extreme'.
International assistance has arrived, with German firefighting units deploying to northern Spain to aid efforts.
This year, fires in Spain have burned over 382,000 hectares and caused four fatalities, with many blazes attributed to human activity, leading to 23 arrests for suspected arson.
Neighbouring Portugal is also battling extensive wildfires, with over 3,700 firefighters tackling blazes that have consumed approximately 235,000 hectares and resulted in two deaths.
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The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Horror moment TORNADO hits Spanish resort sending furniture at tourist cafe flying during rare ‘Satan's Storm'
THIS is the terrifying moment a tornado suddenly swept away tables and chairs at a tourist cafe in Spain during "Satan's Storm". The storm hit the Costa Tropical south of Granada on Sunday, forcing holidaymakers and locals to evacuate resorts. 4 4 Two tornadoes and waterspouts formed as the temperature rose to more than 38 °C and winds reached 53mph. Footage showed the storm sweeping through Librilla, less than an hour's drive inland from La Manga in Murcia. A woman was filmed holding a giant bar terrace parasol as the tornado swept away chairs and street rubbish containers behind her. Within just moments, a stronger gust of wind sent the nearby tables smashing into her. An electricity pylon was also snapped in half and brought down by the force of the wind. Local police said in a statement: 'A tornado has carried away sunshades, chairs and tables at bars as it swept through Librilla. 'The town hall has had to cancel its 'Night of Migas' BBQ event because of the fire risk as the tornado carried away tables and chairs people had put out and even embers. 'Our officers and Civil Protection workers are still dealing with incidents involving fallen trees and lampposts.' The freak weather came amid the "Satan's Storm" - a rare atmospheric phenomenon characterised by a sudden, localised increase in air temperature. Local police said the high winds were carrying away embers that could cause wildfires. Horror moment apocalyptic 'Satan's Storm' hits Spain sparking tornadoes & sending tourists fleeing freak heat burst Meanewhile, Spanish emergency responders continued to battle 21 wildfires in different areas of the country - forcing more than 30,000 people to evacuate. Four people have now died and six are left with horrific burns in Spain 's capital Madrid. Local Laura Bueno said: 'What a scare. A heat burst swept away chairs and sunshades. "It was a hot wind like the winds from the Sahara Desert. It knocked over containers and blew everything into the sea. Children and adults suffered panic attacks.' Authorities say 33 people have been arrested since June 1 on suspicion of arson. Another shocked local added: 'I don't remember seeing such a rapid weather change in such a short space of time.' Many areas have registered record temperatures, with the thermometer in the city of Jerez de la Frontera marking an astonishing 45 °C. Weather agency Aemet has now confirmed the 16-day heatwave Spain has suffered, the third-longest on record, is now over. Torrential rain and storms are being predicted today for places like Majorca. Aemet has activated an orange alert for parts of the holiday island, including the resort of Magaluf.


Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
Spain deploys another 500 soldiers to tackle wildfires - as part of Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route closed
Spain has deployed another 500 soldiers to battle wildfires that have spread across parts of the country in scorching conditions - taking the total to 1,900. The fires have burned 158,000 hectares so far this year - an area roughly as big as metropolitan London - and three people have died in the past week. Up to 20 major wildfires are burning, including several in Spain 's northwestern region of Galicia. Some have converged to form a large blaze, forcing the closure of roads and rail services. Part of the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route was closed on Monday as the fire spread to the southern slopes of the Picos de Europa mountain range. Authorities shut the path between the towns of Astorga and Ponferrada, about 30 miles (50km) apart, and told hikers "not to put (their) lives in danger". Four firefighters have been killed so far, including one on Sunday whose truck overturned and fell down a hillside near the village of Espinoso de Compludo, in the Leon region, according to El Mundo. "This is a fire situation we haven't experienced in 20 years," defence minister Margarita Robles told radio station Cadena SER. Two water-dumping planes from the Netherlands are expected to join aircraft from France and Italy already helping Spanish authorities. Firefighters from other countries are also set to arrive in the coming days, Civil Protection Agency chief Virginia Barcones told public broadcaster RTVE. The agency posted on X on Sunday night to say two more people had been arrested on suspicion of starting fires. Several dozen people have been arrested for suspected arson since June, according to the interior ministry. 0:49 Southern Europe is experiencing one of its worst wildfire seasons in many years with Spain among the hardest-hit countries. While the region lived through wildfires, droughts and heatwaves long before humans started to change the climate by burning fossil fuels, hotter global temperatures can supercharge some of the conditions for these types of extreme weather, according to climate scientists. Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Albania have also requested help from the EU's firefighting force in recent days. Thousands of firefighters are also battling eight large blazes in central and northern Portugal, the largest of them near the mountainous area of Piodao. 1:28 The smoke from the wildfires in Spain and Portugal also recently brought hazy conditions to the UK. Portugal is set for cooler weather in the coming days, but temperatures were expected to reach up to 45C (113F) in some areas of Spain on Sunday. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said there remained "some challenging days ahead and, unfortunately, the weather is not on our side". Alfonso Rueda, head of the Galician regional government, said lockdowns were in place and evacuations were being carried out, with homes "still under threat".


The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Stark warning issued following wildfires across Spain
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