Spain has ramped up its efforts to combat devastating wildfires, deploying an additional 500 troops to the frontlines, raising the total to 1,900. The latest reports indicate that the wildfire death toll has now reached four. A tragic incident on Sunday resulted in the death of a firefighter in Castile and León, who lost his life when his vehicle tumbled down a steep hillside.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed his sorrow via social media, while neighboring Portugal mourned another firefighter killed in a vehicle accident amid ongoing fire efforts, according to President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. In the grip of a severe heatwave, wildfires are also reported across Greece, France, Turkey, and the Balkans, exacerbating the scenario in Southern Europe.
Wildfires are particularly dire in northwest Spain, with 27,000 residents ordered to evacuate their homes. Castile and León bears the brunt, described by local media as having air quality that is "unbreathable" due to thick smoke. In the western province of Cáceres, an out-of-control fire has scorched approximately 11,000 hectares (27,181 acres), while the Galicia region continues to battle 12 ongoing fires, one of which has partially razed 17,500 hectares.
The latest incidents have also resulted in at least five injuries in Castile and León, four of which are reported to be critical. Tragically, two volunteers previously perished last week in Leon while combating the flames, and another man died due to a fire in Tres Cantos near Madrid. Record figures show that nearly 343,000 hectares have burned this year across Spain, as per the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), representing nearly double last year's totals.
Authorities in Spain are already taking action, as the Civil Guard proposed sanctions against individuals suspected of conducting unauthorized burns in Galicia; causing a wildfire, even inadvertently, is treated as a serious criminal offense.
In Portugal, wildfires have burned intensely since late July, with the northern and central regions suffering the most damage. President Sousa extended heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families, including two additional firefighters who sustained injuries during the recent firefighting efforts.
As both countries activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism for support, international firefighters and two fire-fighting planes have been dispatched to assist in battling the wildfires. While wildfires are a common summer phenomenon in southern Europe, their intensity is reportedly increasing, attributed to human-induced climate change, which has altered weather patterns and intensified heat waves.
