The European Union has deployed two firefighting planes to Spain to assist in combating the ongoing wildfires, following the country’s activation of the bloc’s disaster assistance mechanism for the first time.
This aid arrives as Spain mourns a third fatality linked to the wildfires, confirmed Thursday morning.
Concerns are mounting that the wildfires could continue to spread. Aemet, Spain’s state weather agency, has issued forecasts indicating a continued heatwave through Monday, with temperatures potentially reaching 44C in some regions, compounded by moderate winds.
Spain is the fifth European nation to request assistance in battling wildfires. In Greece, an estimated 25,000 acres of land have been consumed by flames since Tuesday.
Two French Canadair water bomber aircraft arrived in Spain’s north-western Galicia region on Thursday, signaling international collaboration in the face of the crisis.
“The fight against fires knows no borders,” asserted Pedro Blanco, the government representative in the region. “French resources are now in Spain to intensify efforts to extinguish forest fires.”
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told local media on Wednesday that while the two planes were not yet urgently needed, the government sought their presence in Spain for rapid deployment when necessary.
Speaking to broadcaster Cadena SER, he indicated that he had not ruled out requesting additional firefighters.
Tragically, a volunteer firefighter succumbed to severe burns in a León hospital in the north-western region on Thursday.
His death marks the second volunteer fatality resulting from the fires in the region, and the third overall. Another individual died near Madrid last Tuesday.
“We are struck once again by the death of a second volunteer who has lost their life in León,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated on Thursday. “All our love and support go out to their family and friends during this unbearable time.”
Spain’s Civil Guard has reported the arrest of two men suspected of starting fires in Castille and León, which have since spread across thousands of hectares. This brings the total number of arson arrests to 10 since the beginning of June.
While current weather conditions are conducive to wildfires, they can also be triggered by barbecues, discarded cigarette butts, or glass bottles. Starting a wildfire, even unintentionally, is a criminal offense in Spain.
Thousands of residents have been evacuated from their homes nationwide, including 700 individuals instructed to leave their towns in the south-western province of Caceres on Wednesday.
Wildfires are a recurrent phenomenon in southern Europe during the summer months, with their severity often amplified by heatwave conditions.
EU data reveals that approximately 629,000 hectares (1.6 million acres) of land have been burned across the bloc since the start of the year, with Spanish wildfires accounting for roughly a quarter of this total.
While attributing individual extreme weather events directly to climate change remains challenging, scientists generally agree that climate change is contributing to hotter, longer, and more frequent heatwaves.
Prolonged periods of hot weather can desiccate the ground and vegetation, thereby accelerating the rapid spread of wildfires.
Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Albania have also activated the EU’s civil protection mechanism, which enables countries affected by disasters, both within and outside Europe, to request emergency aid.
In Greece, wildfires have been burning for a third consecutive day, with the most dangerous fronts located on the island of Chios and in the Achaia region of the Peloponnese.
To date, 95 individuals, including firefighters and civilians, have sustained injuries.
EU data indicates that more than 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) have been consumed by flames across Greece since Tuesday morning.
Authorities have issued a red alert for Thursday, warning of a very high fire risk in Attica, eastern Central Greece, Evia, the north-eastern Peloponnese, and Thrace.
In Chios, the fire front extends for dozens of kilometers, and due to limited resources, numerous residents have been evacuated by sea using coastguard and private vessels.
Authorities have reported the arrest of three men in connection with a fire near the port city of Patras, which ignited earlier this week and continues to burn in localized areas.
Fires have also been reported in Albania and Turkey, where several firefighters have been injured while battling the blazes.
Additional reporting by Nikos Papanikolaou in Greece
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Crews are monitoring two areas but not actively firefighting unless they see flare-ups or hotspots.
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The fire service says broken glass in sunlight can start fires in hot weather, along with barbecues.
Spanish firefighters were battling wildfires in the Leon province of Spain.