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Spain deployed 500 more soldiers to combat 20 major wildfires, which continue to threaten homes in Galicia.
A man battles a wildfire in Veiga das Meas, northwestern Spain (Photo: AP)
At least 500 more soldiers were deployed to battle 20 major wildfires in Spain, which have torn through parched woodland during a prolonged spell of scorching weather, and have killed two, including a firefighter.
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The move to add more troops came as authorities struggled to contain forest blazes, especially in the northwestern Galicia region, and awaited the arrival of promised aircraft reinforcements from other European countries.
Firefighters are tackling 12 major wildfires in Galicia, all of them near the city of Ourense, the head of the Galician regional government, Alfonso Rueda, told a press conference with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
“Homes are still under threat, so we have lockdowns in place and are carrying out evacuations,” the Associated Press quoted Rueda as saying.
Galicia has been battling the spreading flames for more than a week.
According to a Spanish national weather agency, temperatures in Spain could reach 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in some areas. On Saturday, the maximum temperature was 44.7°C (112.46 F) in the southern city of Cordoba, it said.
The fires in Spain this year have burned 158,000 hectares (390,000 acres), according to the European Union’s European Forest Fire Information System. That is an area roughly as big as metropolitan London.
Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
AP quoted scientists as saying that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness in parts of Europe, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires.
Spain was expecting the arrival of two Dutch water-dumping planes that were to join aircraft from France and Italy already helping Spanish authorities under a European cooperation agreement.
ALSO READ | France Battles Largest Wildfire This Summer: 27,000 Acres Of Land Burned, One Dead
About the Author
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
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