Madrid, Aug 13 (UNI) Thousands of people have been evacuated in several regions of Spain due to raging wildfires, Spanish media reported.
Emergency crews are battling multiple wildfires across Spain and Portugal, as a record-breaking heatwave continues across Europe. Firefighters worked through the night in an effort to contain a blaze burning in the municipality of Tres Cantos, located 23km north of Madrid.
The Europa Press news agency reported that about 100 people were evacuated from the Gran Hotel Los Angeles in the suburbs of Madrid due to a fire. The news agency also reported that one person who received burns to 98 pc of his body as a result of the fire died.
The autonomous community of Castile and Leon has been devastated by 14 forest fires, including 10 large ones, which affect, in particular, the provinces of Leon and Zamora, and 2,500 people have been evacuated, El Espanol newspaper reported.
The report added that in Andalusia, 2,000 people were evacuated on Monday, but the local emergency service has already allowed 700 people to return to their homes.
At the same time, the agency for security and emergency situations of the autonomous community of Madrid said that 180 people were evacuated as a result of the fires.
In addition, train service between Madrid and Galicia has been suspended over wildfires, railway operator Renfe said.
Extreme temperatures in Spain and Portugal are expected to continue until at least Wednesday, officials say, with forecasts reaching up to 44C.
Three men died and thousands were forced from their homes on Tuesday as wildfires, fuelled by a relentless heatwave, scorched parts of southern Europe. Heat alerts were in place across Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and the Balkans, with temperatures expected to soar above 40°C.
Experts say the extreme weather is another stark sign of climate change, which is driving longer, more intense and increasingly frequent bouts of extreme heat.
“Thanks to climate change, we now live in a significantly warmer world,” said Akshay Deoras, a research scientist at the University of Reading’s meteorology department in the UK. “Many still underestimate the danger.”
Thousands of people evacuated in several regions of Spain due to wildfires
