A firefighting volunteer died from severe burns, while several people were hospitalized as dozens of wildfires fueled by strong winds and scorching heat continued to rage across Spain yesterday, after three men and a child died and thousands were forced from their homes, as heat alerts were issued in Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and the Balkans.
At least six large wildfires were still out of control yesterday, regional emergency services said.
A 35-year-old volunteer had been attempting to create firebreaks near Nogarejas, in the northcentral Castile and Leon region, when he became trapped in the blaze, regional officials said yesterday.
Photo: AFP
In the same region on Tuesday, officials said another man was killed while fighting fires.
On Monday, an employee of a Spanish equestrian center died from his injuries in Tres Cantos, a wealthy suburb north of Madrid, officials said — reportedly as he tried to save horses.
He was the first fatality from dozens of wildfires that have hit Spain since the heat wave began last week.
A soldier in Montenegro died and another was seriously injured when their water tanker overturned while fighting wildfires in the hills north of the capital, Podgorica.
A child on Monday died of heatstroke in Italy.
The fire in the Castile and Leon region had two active fronts that were still out of control, as weather services forecast another day of strong winds and electric storms.
More than 5,000 people have been evacuated from the region, which is Spain’s largest, and efforts were being concentrated on preventing the flames from reaching smaller towns.
Spanish Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge Sara Aagesen told SER radio that many fires across the country were suspected to be intentionally caused by arsonists due to their “virulence,” but that it was too early to quantify them.
Weather agency AEMET forecast “extreme” risk of wildfires across Spain yesterday.
Meanwhile, firefighters yesterday battled multiple blazes across Greece, including wildfires threatening villages and towns near the western city of Patras and on two tourist islands.
Fires have burned houses, farms and factories, and prompted the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists since Tuesday.
About 13 firefighters have been treated for burns and other injuries, Hellenic Fire Service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis told a televised briefing yesterday.
Nearly 5,000 firefighters assisted by 33 aircraft were deployed from dawn to contain the flames stoked by winds and hot, dry conditions near Patras, on the tourist islands of Chios and Zakynthos and in at least three inland spots.
“Today, it will be another very difficult day, as the wildfire risk for most of the country’s regions will be very high,” Vathrakogiannis said.
Flames and dark smoke billowed over a cement factory that was set alight by a wildfire that swept through olive groves and forests and disrupted rail traffic near Patras yesterday.
“What it looks like? It looks like doomsday. We came from Athens with our volunteer association Kleisthenis, we can’t do anything more. May God help us and help people here,” said volunteer firefighter Giorgos Karavanis, who was working on the fire near Patras.
Young Chinese, many who fear age discrimination in their workplace after turning 35, are increasingly starting “one-person companies” that have artificial intelligence (AI) do most of the work. Smaller start-ups are already in vogue in Silicon Valley and elsewhere, with rapidly advancing AI tools seen as a welcome teammate even as they threaten layoffs at existing firms. More young people in China are subscribing to the model, as cities pledge millions of dollars in funding and rent subsidies for such ventures, in alignment with Beijing’s political goal of “technological self-reliance.” “The one-person company is a product of the AI era,” said Karen Dai
South Korea’s air force yesterday apologized for a 2021 midair collision involving two fighter jets, a day after auditors said the pilots were taking selfies and filming during the flight and held them responsible for the accident. “We sincerely apologize to the public for the concern caused by the accident that occurred in 2021,” an air force spokesman told a news conference, adding that one of the pilots involved had been suspended from flying duties, received severe disciplinary action and has since left the military. The apology followed a report released on Wednesday by the South Korean Board of Audit and Inspection,
About 240 Indians claiming descent from a Biblical tribe landed at Tel Aviv airport on Thursday as part of a government operation to relocate them to Israel. The newcomers passed under a balloon arch in blue and white, the colors of the Israeli flag, as dozens of well-wishers welcomed them with a traditional Jewish song. They were the first “bnei Menashe” (“sons of Manasseh”) to arrive in Israel since the government in November last year announced funding for the immigration of about 6,000 members of the community from the states of Manipur and Mizoram in northeast India. The community claims to descend from
‘TROUBLING’: The firing of Phelan, who was an adviser to a nonprofit that supported the defense of Taiwan, was another example of ‘dysfunction’ under Trump, a US senator said US Secretary of the Navy John Phelan has been fired, a US official and a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, in another wartime shakeup at the Pentagon coming just weeks after US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ousted the Army’s top general. The Pentagon announced his departure in a brief statement, saying he was leaving the administration “effective immediately,” but it did not provide a reason or say whether it was his decision to go. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Phelan was dismissed in part because he was moving too slowly to implement reforms to
RSS