Wave of fires in the Iberian Peninsula: 21 large fires, alarm in Galicia. One dead in Portugal
Heat and drought fuel fires in Spain, Portugal and Greece. Highways closed and high speed suspended in Galicia.
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Firefighters continue to fight several fires in Spain, Portugal and Greece, under conditions of scorching heat and persistent drought that make efforts to contain the flames difficult.
Spain is currently grappling with 14 large fires, with rising temperatures predicted for the weekend.
The national meteorological agency reported an extremely high fire risk in large parts of the country. The fires in the Galicia region have forced the closure of motorways and the suspension of the high-speed railway line connecting the region to the capital Madrid.
Sanchez's message
"Today will again be a very difficult day, with an extreme risk of new fires," Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote on X. The national meteorological agency Aemet reported an extreme fire risk across much of the country, including the worst-hit areas in the north and west. The heat wave, which has brought temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius for several days this month, is expected to continue until Monday.
According to the European Union's European Forest Fire Information System, fires in Spain this year burned 158,000 hectares, an area roughly the size of the London metropolitan area.
