Latest news with #volunteerFirefighter
BreakingNews.ie
5 days ago
- Climate
- BreakingNews.ie
Greece, Spain and Portugal race to contain wildfires as EU steps up help
Fire crews in Greece, Spain and Portugal are racing to contain wildfires, taking advantage of calmer winds that slowed the blazes' advance. Much of southern Europe, however, remains at high risk under hot, dry conditions on Thursday. Advertisement A drop in wind speeds allowed firefighting aircraft in the three hard-hit countries to step up water drops, concentrating on existing fire zones rather than chasing fast-moving fronts. A helicopter drops water on a wildfire in Larouco, north-western Spain (Lalo R Villar/AP) Authorities warned that extreme temperatures are likely to persist. Spanish authorities reported the death of a 37-year-old volunteer firefighter who sustained severe burns in an area north of Madrid this week. It was the third reported death in Spain because of the recent fires. Advertisement Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes in the region and still cannot return. In Greece, the fire service said a major blaze outside the southern port city of Patras has been contained on the outskirts of urban areas after a large-scale deployment. Local residents and volunteers work together to put out an encroaching wildfire in Larouco, north-western Spain (Lalo R Villar/AP) Three people have been arrested in connection with the fire, which authorities said may have been deliberately set. The European Union's civil protection agency said it responded to requests for assistance this week from Greece, Spain, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Albania, sending firefighting planes and helicopters from other member states. Advertisement The agency said it had already activated assistance 16 times amid this summer's wildfires as European countries have been hit by 'a high number of catastrophic wildfires'. The number of activations for 2025 already matches the total for wildfires during the entire 2024 fire season, it said.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Wildfires in Madrid burn 26 horses to death as record-breaking heatwave sweeps across Europe
A blaze has reportedly killed 26 horses in their stables, alongside a 55-year-old man who died trying to save them, as wildfires continue to devastate southern Europe. The man suffered burns to 98 per cent of his body in the fire north of Madrid, and died in hospital after being flown there by helicopter, the Guardian reported. A Spanish volunteer firefighter also died from severe burns, and several others were hospitalised, as the state weather agency AEMET warned that almost the entire country faced an extreme or very high risk of fire. The 35-year-old deceased was attempting to create firebreaks near Nogarejas, in the central Castile and Leon region, when he became trapped in the inferno, according to regional officials. He was the sixth person to die this year in wildfires in Spain. Others include two firefighters in Tarragona and Avila, according to emergency services. The blazes have consumed homes, farms, and factories, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists across southern Europe. They are fuelled by a relentless heatwave, strong winds, and a combination of suspected arson and thunderstorms. In Greece, a cement factory on the outskirts of Patras, west of Athens, was engulfed in flames and dark smoke, as a wildfire swept through olive groves and forests, disrupting local rail traffic. A volunteer, Giorgos Karvanis, who travelled from Athens to assist, said: "What does it look like? It looks like doomsday. May God help us and help the people here." Authorities had already ordered the evacuation of a town of about 7,700 people near Patras on Tuesday, issuing further alerts on Wednesday for residents of two nearby villages to leave. On the popular tourist islands of Chios in the east and Cephalonia in the west, officials also instructed people to move to safety as fires continued to spread. Suspected arson Spanish Environment Minister Sara Aagesen told the SER radio station that many fires across the country were thought to be the work of arsonists due to their 'virulence'. A male firefighter was arrested on Tuesday for fires started in the Avila area north of Madrid two weeks ago, while police said on Tuesday they were investigating a 63-year-old woman for allegedly starting fires in Galicia's Muxia area in August. Police have also identified a suspect who is believed to have suffered burns to his hands after starting a small fire in a beachfront development in the southern coastal Cadiz area, Europa Press reported. Thunderstorms have caused other fires. On Tuesday, shortly after 5 pm, Andalusia's fire department was flooded with calls by residents reporting a fire caused by a lightning strike on a chestnut and oak forest in Los Romeros, north of the city of Huelva. The fire prompted the evacuation of around 250 residents but was largely controlled by Wednesday morning. A blaze in Trancoso in Portugal that has been burning since Saturday got worse during the night as a lightning reignited an area that was thought safe, the civil protection service said. In Albania, Defence Minister Pirro Vengu said it was a 'critical week', with several major wildfires burning across the country. Some 10,000 firefighters, soldiers and police emergency units struggled with a total of 24 wildfires on Wednesday, the defence ministry said. Flames reached two villages in the centre of the country, forcing villagers to flee, taking their livestock with them. 'We are going in the middle of two rivers because the fire has arrived,' said Hajri Dragoti, 68, from Narte, who fled with his wife taking a cow, a donkey and a dog. 'We can't do anything, it is like gunpowder.' Spain was in its 10th day of a heatwave that peaked on Tuesday with temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit), and which AEMET expected to last until Monday, making it one of the longest on record. Pope Leo moved his weekly audience from St. Peter's Square to an indoor venue in the Vatican, 'to stay a little bit out of the sun and the extreme heat' as Italy's health ministry issued extreme heat warnings for 16 cities on Wednesday, with temperatures forecast to peak at 39C (102F) in Florence.
