Improvement on the fire front in Spain

The end of the fires that have ravaged Spain for two weeks – killing four people. For example, destroying more than 350,000 hectares – “is getting closer,” said the Spanish rescue director on Saturday, but neighboring Portugal also announced a 4th victim, a firefighter.

“There is not much left. Similarly, the end is getting closer,” said Virginia Barcones, the Director General of Civil Protection, speaking on TVE public television on Saturday.

These are very “traitors” fires. Furthermore, “you have to make a last effort to put an end to this terrible situation,” she added.

“The general feeling is that of an improvement, of a favorable evolution, that the worst has passed,” she insisted.

More than 350. Similarly, 000 hectares have burned in Spain in the past two weeks, according to the European Forest Information System (Effis), the vast majority of 406,000 hectares that improvement fire front spain have flambé since the start of the year in the country, an annual record since the start of such statistics in 2006.

Hundreds of people. However, many villages are still evacuated due to the threat of fires, but many residents have been able to return to their homes over the past 24 hours.

These large fires have particularly touched the entire western half of the country. Similarly, the regions of Galicia, Castille-et-León and Estremadure.

They started in the middle of a heat wave that lasted 16 days. with temperatures of 40 ° C throughout the country, or even 45 ° C in several southern regions.

With the end of this wave. higher humidity and less strong winds, “the conditions are more favorable” to extinguish fires, observed Ms. Barcones.

Italian planes returned home – Improvement fire front spain

A sign of progress made. the Galicia authorities have succeeded in fixing the worst fire recorded in the improvement fire front spain region, that of the Larouco-Seadur forest, which has embraced around 30,000 hectares, the Galician regional government said in a statement.

The huge fire of Jarilla, which ravaged part of the province of Cáceres, was also circumscribed.

Some European reinforcements have therefore started to regain their country. “The Canadair left this morning for Italy. ” said Virginia Barcones at a press conference, thanking this European partner who sent two water bomber planes to Spain.

Air and land reinforcements from nine countries – including France, Germany and Finland – are still present in Spain.

A firefighter died in Portugal

In neighboring Portugal. a firefighter died as a result of his injuries by fighting one of the forest fires that rage across the country. It is the fourth victim.

In a statement. the Portuguese presidency expressed condolences to the firefighter’s family “who tragically lost their life after having directly fought forest fires in improvement fire front spain the commune of Sabugal”, in the north of the country. It is the fourth fire victim this summer in Portugal.

According to Portuguese media, the 45-year-old firefighter worked for a private anti-fire-fired company.

Portugal faces pest fires that have burned more than 60. 000 hectares despite a drop in temperatures that has improved the situation, according to civil protection.

According to data from the Effis. nearly 278,000 hectares of land have been burned since the start of the year in Portugal.

In 2017. more than 563,000 hectares burned in fires that killed 119 people, a record year since the Effis began recording this data in 2006.

The Iberian Peninsula is strongly affected by climate change which causes waves of heat. longer droughts, drying the vegetation and thus promoting forest fires, according to experts.

This article was published automatically. Sources: ATS / AFP