MADRID: Thousands of firefighters backed by the military and water-bombing aircraft on Monday battled dozens of wildfires across Spain and Portugal, as the death toll increased to six since the outbreaks began.
The Iberian peninsula has been particularly affected by forest fires fuelled by heatwaves and drought blamed on climate change that have hit southern Europe.
More than 343,000 hectares (848,000 acres) of land — the equivalent of nearly half a million football pitches — have been destroyed this year in Spain, setting a new national record, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).
The previous record of 306,000 hectares was set in the same period three years ago.
Two firefighters were killed on Sunday — one in each country, both in road accidents — taking the death toll to two in Portugal and four in Spain.
The head of Spain’s Civil Protection and Emergencies, Virginia Barcones, told broadcaster TVE there were currently 23 “active fires” that pose a serious and direct threat to the population.
The fires, now in their second week, were concentrated in the northwest regions of Galicia, Castile and Leon, and Extremadura.
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