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Times
3 days ago
- Climate
- Times
Spain wildfires: minister's joke about heat backfires
A political row has erupted in Spain after a minister joked that 'things are getting a little hot' amid a relentless wave of wildfires across the country. Óscar Puente, the transport minister and a close supporter of Pedro Sánchez, the Socialist prime minister, made the remark as about 21 fires burned across the country, claiming two lives and having scorched nearly 25,000 hectares this week. Puente's quip targeted the conservative government head of the north-central Castile and León region, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, accusing him of being on holiday in Cádiz while his territory burnt. The minister said: 'Things are getting a little hot in Castile and León.' The remark was widely seen as tasteless given the scale of the destruction. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the leader of the opposition Popular Party, immediately condemned the comment, calling for Sánchez to dismiss the minister. Puente replied that if a regional leader were enjoying 'fiestas' while constituents suffered floods or fires, he would expect their removal too. El País stated in an editorial on Wednesday: 'It's disheartening to see the government and the Popular Party embroiled in a dispute over the handling of the disasters in Castile and León. A country in shock deserves better than Minister Óscar Puente's frivolous comments on social media.' Castile and León remains hardest hit, particularly in León and Zamora, affecting tens of municipalities and forcing thousands of people to evacuate. Lake Carucedo was used as a water source for firefighters in Galicia SAMUEL DE ROMAN PEREZ/ANADOLU/GETTY IMAGES Elsewhere in the region, a firefighting volunteer died from severe burns, while several people were hospitalised as dozens of wildfires fuelled by strong winds and scorching heat continued to rage across the country. The victim, a 35-year-old volunteer, had been attempting to create firebreaks near the town of Nogarejas when he became trapped in the blaze, regional officials said. An employee of a Spanish equestrian centre died from his injuries in Tres Cantos, a wealthy suburb north of Madrid, officials said, as he was reported to have tried to save horses. This year's total of affected terrain exceeded 69,000 hectares, already above the 18-year average. Seven regions were grappling with blazes. Emergency forces, including 1,000 military personnel and over 5,000 police and civil guard members, were engaged in firefighting operations. In Andalusia, in the south, the second fire in a few days in Tarifa forced the evacuation of 2,000 people on Monday while in Galicia, in the northwest, fires in Chandrexa de Queixa and Maceda burned a combined 4,330 hectares. Fire caused disruptions to high-speed rail services between Madrid and Galicia. The village of Parafita in southern Galicia VIOLETA SANTOS MOURA/REUTERS The village of Vilaza in southern Galencia MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES Aemet, the national meteorological agency, said the forecast for extinguishing the fires was unfavourable until at least Thursday, due to expected dry storms that could spark more fires. Extreme heat is breaking temperature records across Europe, with many areas seeing fires or raising alert levels. In southwest France, records were broken on Monday in Angoulême, Bergerac, Bordeaux, Saint-Émilion and Saint-Girons. Météo France said the 'often remarkable, even unprecedented, maximum temperatures' in the region were 12C above typical figures for the last few decades. Large forest fires burned along the coast of Croatia, where temperatures exceeded 38 and 39C and affected neighbouring countries in the Balkans.
Times
3 days ago
- Climate
- Times
Spain wildfires: Row erupts as minister jokes ‘things getting hot'
A political row has erupted in Spain after a minister joked that 'things are getting a little hot' amid a relentless wave of wildfires across the country. Óscar Puente, the transport minister and a close supporter of Pedro Sánchez, the Socialist prime minister, made the remark as about 21 fires burned across the country, claiming two lives and having scorched nearly 25,000 hectares this week. Puente's quip targeted the conservative government head of the north-central Castile and León region, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, accusing him of being on holiday in Cádiz while his territory burnt. The minister said: 'Things are getting a little hot in Castile and León.' The remark was widely seen as tasteless given the scale of the destruction. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the leader of the opposition Popular Party, immediately condemned the comment, calling for Sánchez to dismiss the minister. Puente replied that if a regional leader were enjoying 'fiestas' while constituents suffered floods or fires, he would expect their removal too. El País stated in an editorial on Wednesday: 'It's disheartening to see the government and the Popular Party embroiled in a dispute over the handling of the disasters in Castile and León. A country in shock deserves better than Minister Óscar Puente's frivolous comments on social media.' Castile and León remains hardest hit, particularly in León and Zamora, affecting tens of municipalities and forcing thousands of people to evacuate. Elsewhere in the region, a firefighting volunteer died from severe burns, while several people were hospitalised as dozens of wildfires fuelled by strong winds and scorching heat continued to rage across the country. The victim, a 35-year-old volunteer, had been attempting to create firebreaks near the town of Nogarejas when he became trapped in the blaze, regional officials said. An employee of a Spanish equestrian centre died from his injuries in Tres Cantos, a wealthy suburb north of Madrid, officials said, as he was reported to have tried to save horses. This year's total of affected terrain exceeded 69,000 hectares, already above the 18-year average. Seven regions were grappling with blazes. Emergency forces, including 1,000 military personnel and over 5,000 police and civil guard members, were engaged in firefighting operations. In Andalusia, in the south, the second fire in a few days in Tarifa forced the evacuation of 2,000 people on Monday while in Galicia, in the northwest, fires in Chandrexa de Queixa and Maceda burned a combined 4,330 hectares. Fire caused disruptions to high-speed rail services between Madrid and Galicia. Aemet, the national meteorological agency, said the forecast for extinguishing the fires was unfavourable until at least Thursday, due to expected dry storms that could spark more fires. Extreme heat is breaking temperature records across Europe, with many areas seeing fires or raising alert levels. • Roll clouds in Portugal and wildfires in Turkey: what's behind the heatwave? In southwest France, records were broken on Monday in Angoulême, Bergerac, Bordeaux, Saint-Émilion and Saint-Girons. Météo France said the 'often remarkable, even unprecedented, maximum temperatures' in the region were 12C above typical figures for the last few decades. Large forest fires burned along the coast of Croatia, where temperatures exceeded 38 and 39C and affected neighbouring countries in the Balkans. Wildfires continued to rage in Greece after a prolonged drought, prompting evacuations.
See - Sada Elbalad
5 days ago
- See - Sada Elbalad
Spain Evacuates Over 1000 People as Wildfires Threaten UNESCO Heritage Site
Rana Atef Spanish authorities announced Monday the evacuation of more than 1,000 people in the country's northwest, as wildfires threatened a UNESCO World Heritage site. According to Swiss radio Lac, around 400 residents were displaced from Carucedo and surrounding areas, along with 700 more from nearby towns close to Las Médulas, which is an ancient Roman gold-mining region. The site is well known for its striking red rock formations and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The president of the Castile and León regional government, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, said many of the fires were the result of deliberate acts of violence. He said on X: 'We will relentlessly pursue those responsible for these attacks, which endanger lives and safety, and pose a threat to our historical and natural heritage." Wildfires have also been reported in Galicia (northwest) and Navarre (north). Spain is in the second week of a heatwave, with temperatures reaching close to 40°C in many regions. The extreme heat is expected to persist at least until Thursday, prompting civil protection authorities to issue high-risk wildfire alerts for much of the country. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid Videos & Features Story behind Trending Jessica Radcliffe Death Video News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters Arts & Culture "Jurassic World Rebirth" Gets Streaming Date News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia Business Egyptian Pound Undervalued by 30%, Says Goldman Sachs Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Arts & Culture South Korean Actress Kang Seo-ha Dies at 31 after Cancer Battle Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Arts & Culture Lebanese Media: Fayrouz Collapses after Death of Ziad Rahbani
