MADRID: Thousands of firefighters, supported by military personnel and water-bombing aircraft, are battling dozens of wildfires across Spain and Portugal.
The death toll has risen to six since the outbreaks began, with two firefighters killed in separate road accidents on Sunday.
The Iberian peninsula has been severely affected by forest fires intensified by heatwaves and drought linked to climate change.
More than 343,000 hectares of land have been destroyed in Spain this year, setting a new national record, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.
The previous record of 306,000 hectares was recorded in the same period three years ago.
Virginia Barcones, head of Spain’s Civil Protection and Emergencies, confirmed 23 active fires posing a direct threat to communities.
The fires, now in their second week, are concentrated in Galicia, Castile and Leon, and Extremadura.
In Ourense province, charred forests, blackened soil, and destroyed homes mark the devastation, with thick smoke forcing residents to wear facemasks.
Locals in shorts and T-shirts joined firefighters, using hoses and buckets to slow the flames.
One resident in O Barco de Valdeorras described the wildfire as “like a bomb” that swept through his area.
Barcones expressed hope that changing weather conditions would aid firefighting efforts as Spain’s heatwave subsides.
International support includes firefighting aircraft from France, Italy, Slovakia, and the Netherlands, while Portugal receives aid from Sweden and Morocco.
Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles described the situation as “very difficult, very complicated” due to the fires’ intensity and smoke.
A firefighter in Castile and Leon died when his water truck overturned on a steep forest road.
Two other volunteer firefighters and a Romanian stable worker also lost their lives in fire-related incidents.
In Portugal, a firefighter died in a traffic accident, while a former mayor perished while fighting flames.
Around 2,000 firefighters are deployed across northern and central Portugal, with half stationed in Arganil.
Portugal has lost 216,000 hectares of land to wildfires since the start of the year- AFP
