MADRID: Spanish authorities reported just over a dozen serious wildfires still burning across the country as foreign assistance begins to wind down.
The civil protection service confirmed 14 active wildfires classified as operation level two, indicating they pose significant danger to people and property.
This number represents a decrease from 18 fires reported on Saturday and 21 fires documented last week.
Four people have died during this month’s devastating wildfires that have consumed vast areas of land throughout Spain.
Virginia Barcones, head of the civil protection agency, stated that firefighting efforts were “progressing slowly” during a news conference.
She specifically highlighted reignition as a major challenge while adding: “The evolution is favourable in most of the fires”.
Barcones noted that winds have been “more intense” and temperatures higher on Monday but forecasts predict improved weather conditions for Tuesday.
Spanish firefighters have received crucial support from international teams from other European Union countries during weeks of intense firefighting operations.
The European Forest Fire Information System reported these blazes have scorched more than 350,000 hectares (865,000 acres) over the past two weeks.
The hardest-hit regions were located in northern and western Spain, particularly Castile and Leon, Extremadura, and Galicia.
These catastrophic fires flared during a severe two-week heatwave that pushed temperatures above 40C throughout the country.
Foreign firefighting teams from Finland and France will begin returning home Tuesday according to the latest schedule.
German crews will return on Wednesday while Romanian teams are scheduled to leave Thursday, Barcones confirmed.
Three wildfire-related deaths occurred in Castile and Leon, with another fatality reported near the Madrid region.
Scientists worldwide assert that climate change is driving longer, more intense, and more frequent heatwaves that fuel such devastating wildfires. – AFP
