Latest news with #CastileAndLeon
Associated Press
5 hours ago
- Climate
- Associated Press
Thousands evacuated as wildfires rage across Spain during scorching heatwave
MADRID (AP) — Thousands of people in Spain faced evacuation orders Tuesday as wildfires continued to burn across the Iberian Peninsula during a heatwave expected to reach temperatures of 44 degrees Celsius (112.2 Fahrenheit) in some places. Firefighters had largely contained a blaze outside Madrid that broke out Monday night, authorities said Tuesday. The fire, which mainly burned scrub and grassland, killed a man who suffered burns on 98% of his body, emergency services said. The fire affected more than 1,000 hectares (2,470 acres). By Tuesday morning, authorities were allowing some residents back into their homes. Elsewhere, firefighters were battling blazes in several Spanish regions including Castile and Leon, Castile-La Mancha, Andalusia and Galicia. Numerous fires forced thousands of people to evacuate, including holiday-goers in Cadiz after a fire sent huge plumes of smoke into the air visible Monday from some beaches at the southern tip of Spain. More than 700 firefighters in Portugal were working to control a fire in Trancoso, about 350 kilometers (217 miles) northeast of Lisbon. Smaller fires were burning further north. Dry vegetation and strong winds can make forest fires spread rapidly and out of control. Scientists warn climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness in Southern Europe, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires and the health impacts of extreme heat. Europe is warming faster than any other continent, with temperatures increasing at twice the speed as the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. Last year was the hottest year on record in Europe and globally, the monitoring agency said. The burning of fuels like gasoline, oil and coal release heat-trapping gasses are the main driver of climate change. Deforestation, wildfires and many kinds of factories also contribute.
Reuters
a day ago
- Climate
- Reuters
Firefighters battle 'fire whirls' in northern Spain
CUBO DE BENAVENTE, Spain, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Extreme heat and strong winds caused "fire whirls" as a blaze burned several houses and forced the evacuation of hundreds of people from near a UNESCO-listed national park in northern Spain, authorities said on Monday. Thirteen fires broke out in the north of the Castile and Leon region, with about 700 people told to abandon their homes in half a dozen villages. Four fires were still live, Juan Carlos Suarez-Quinones, chief of environment for the regional government, said on Monday morning. Firefighters had extinguished the other nine. High temperatures on Sunday had caused the so-called fire whirls near Las Medallas park, forcing firemen to retreat and burning some houses in the nearby village, according to Suarez-Quinones. "This occurs when temperatures reach around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in a very confined valley and then suddenly (the fire) enters a more open and oxygenated area. This produces a fireball, a fire whirl," he said. "This explosive and surprising phenomenon was very dangerous. It disrupted all the work that had been done, forcing us to start practically from scratch," he added. Scientists say the Mediterranean region's hotter, drier summers put it at high risk of wildfires. Once fires start, dry vegetation and strong winds can cause them to spread rapidly and burn out of control, sometimes provoking fire whirls. A prolonged heatwave in Spain continued on Monday with temperatures set to reach 42 C in some regions. Domingo Aparicio, 77, was evacuated to a nearby town from his home in Cubo de Benavente on Sunday after a warehouse in front of his home burned down. "How am I supposed to feel? It's always shocking for people close to the catastrophe," he said. Two or three fires may have been started by lightning strikes, Suarez-Quinones said, but there were indications that the majority were the result of arson, which he described as "environmental terrorism". In the northern part of neighbouring Portugal, nearly 700 firefighters were battling a blaze that started on Saturday in Trancoso, some 350 km (200 miles) northeast of Lisbon. So far this year about 52,000 hectares (200 square miles), or 0.6% of Portugal's total area, have burned, exceeding the 2006-2024 average for the same period by about 10,000 hectares, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. Firefighters were also battling blazes in Navarra in northeastern Spain and in Huelva in the southwest, authorities said.
RNZ News
03-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Liverpool's Portugese forward Diogo Jota dies in car crash in Spain, TVE reports
Diogo Jota of Liverpool is seen in action during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Arsenal. Photo: AFP Liverpool's Portugese forward Diogo Jota, 28, has died in a car crash near Zamora in northwestern Spain, with his brother, the Portugese Football Federation said on Thursday. The regional fire department of Castile and Leon, where Zamora is located, said on its website a car crashed early on Thursday, shortly after midnight, and burst into flames, with two men, aged 28 and 26, found dead. Spanish police told Reuters they could not yet officially confirm the names of the deceased, but everything pointed to it being Jota and his brother. The Lamborghini they were travelling in veered off the road, the spokesperson said. The bodies were taken to a forensics unit in nearby Zamora, where autopsies would be performed, they said. Jota, who got married on 28 June, helped Liverpool win the English Premier League last season, and also won the FA Cup and League Cup with the Merseyside outfit. Jota arrived at Anfield from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020 and scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for the club in all competitions. He also made 49 appearances for Portugal, twice winning the UEFA Nations League, including their penalty shootout victory over Spain last month. "The news of the death of Diogo Jota, an athlete who greatly honoured Portugal's name, and his brother is unexpected and tragic," said Portugal Prime Minister Luis Montenegro. "I extend my deepest condolences to their family. "It is a sad day for football, and for national and international sports." "The Portugese Football Federation and the entire Portugese football community are devastated by the deaths of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva in Spain this morning," said the federation. "Diogo Jota was not only a fantastic player with almost 50 caps for the national team, but also an extraordinary person, who was respected by all his teammates and opponents. He had a contagious joy and was a reference point in his own community... "We have lost two champions. Their deaths represent irreparable losses for Portugese football and we will do everything we can to honour their legacy every day." "FC Porto is in mourning," said the Portugese powerhouse and Jota's home club. "It is with shock and deep sorrow that we send our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who was also our athlete in the youth ranks. "Rest in peace." "Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota," the club said on X. "It is a remarkable achievement for a small guy that came from Gondomar, where I had this dream," Jota said on Liverpool's website of winning the EPL. "It's a moment I will cherish forever." - Reuters
Al Arabiya
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Cristiano Ronaldo pays tribute to teammate Diogo Jota in emotional message
Cristiano Ronaldo paid a heartfelt tribute to his Portuguese teammate Diogo Jota who along with his brother Andre Silva, died in a tragic car accident on Thursday. 'Doesn't make any sense. Just now we were together in the National Team, just now you were married. To your family, to your wife and children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world. I know you will always be with them,' Ronaldo said in a social media post. 'R.I.P Diogo and Andre. We will all miss you.' The 28-year-old Liverpool forward, Jota, and his 25-year-old brother Silva, died in a car crash near Zamora in northwestern Spain. The regional fire department of Castile and Leon, where Zamora is located, said on its website a car crashed early on Thursday, shortly after midnight, and burst into flames, with two men, aged 28 and 26, found dead. 'We have lost two champions. Their deaths represent irreparable losses for Portuguese football, and we will do everything we can to honor their legacy every day,' the Portuguese Football Federation said in a statement.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liverpool striker Diogo Jota dies in car crash
Liverpool striker Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva have died in a car crash near Zamora, in northwestern Spain, Spanish broadcasters reported on Thursday, citing local firefighters. The Premier League player, who was 28, got married last month, posting images of the event on X. Jota signed for Liverpool from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2020. He scored the first goal of Liverpool's 2024-25 title-winning campaign. He leaves behind a wife and three children. Jota's 25-year brother Andre Silva played with Portuguese club Penafiel. The Portuguese Football Federation have called on UEFA, European soccer's governing body, to "hold a minute of silence, this Thursday, before our National Team's match against Spain in the Women's European Championship." "We have lost two champions. The passing of Diogo and Andre Silva represents irreparable losses for Portuguese Football, and we will do everything to honor their legacy daily," the federation posted on X. A Federação Portuguesa de Futebol e todo o Futebol português estão completamente devastados com a morte de Diogo Jota e do seu irmão André Silva, esta madrugada, em mais do que o fantástico jogador, com quase 50 internacionalizações pela Seleção Nacional A, Diogo… — Portugal (@selecaoportugal) July 3, 2025 Authorities in Castile and Leon, a landlocked region in northern Spain bordered by Portugal, said a car crashed shortly after midnight on Thursday and burst into flames, with two men, aged 28 and 26, found dead. According to the BBC and reported on by German news agency dpa, the Spanish Guardia Civil said in a statement that the car, a Lamborghini, left the road due to a tyre blowout while overtaking. Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher
