MADRID (Reuters) – Hundreds of firefighters supported by water bomber planes have tried to contain two forest fires that have raged since Tuesday in eastern Spain, and much of the rest of the country is on red alert for heat and fires.
A fire in Benasau, in the eastern region of Valencia, forced emergency services to evacuate several hundred villagers from their homes as a precaution when it broke out in the nearby hills.
Firefighters said “the fire is progressing favorably” after overnight efforts.
Another, in the province of Cuenca, further inland, has burned more than 1,500 hectares of vegetation since Tuesday. Both fires were classified as serious.
Meteorological service AEMET has forecast maximum temperatures of 43-44 degrees Celsius (109.4-111.2°F) in parts of the country on Wednesday, which is expected to be the peak day of a heatwave, while the Ministry of Interior warned of a very high or extreme risk. of forest fires across Spain.
AEMET said the Barcelona-Fabra observatory in northeastern Catalonia recorded an all-time high temperature of 40°C on Tuesday, beating the previous record of 39.8°C (103.64°F) set in July 1982.
This is the third heat wave in Spain in the last two weeks.
Rising global temperatures due to climate change have also contributed to more frequent wildfires elsewhere – from China to Canada. In Europe, they also ravage the Balkan region.
(Reporting by Emma Pinedo and Andrei Khalip; Editing by Barbara Lewis)
