Spain’s lands face destruction from outrageous wildfires
(MENAFN) Spain has seen nearly 350,000 hectares (865,000 acres) of land destroyed by wildfires over the past 13 days, with 22 major blazes still active across the country as of Wednesday, according to data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) cited by a news agency.
So far in 2024, Spain has lost about 391,581 hectares (967,616 acres) to wildfires, with the overwhelming majority consumed in less than two weeks. The worst-affected regions include Galicia, Castile and León, and Extremadura. Authorities also reported the arrest of a suspect accused of deliberately setting three fires near Madrid on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the government will designate the affected areas as disaster zones next Tuesday.
Neighboring Portugal is also battling severe blazes, with at least four fires active on Wednesday. A 65-year-old man died in Mirandela, Bragança district, on Tuesday night after being run over by the machine he was using to fight the flames, raising the country’s wildfire death toll to three.
Provisional government figures show that more than 222,000 hectares (548,500 acres) have burned in Portugal by Aug. 20—already surpassing the total area lost to fires throughout 2024.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
