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.
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