Firefighter killed battling Spain blazes, bringing death toll to four: authorities

A firefighter died when his truck flipped over in northwestern Spain, authorities said Monday,bringing the death toll from more than a week of forest fires hitting the country to four.

The firefighter and truck involved in the crash were part of the operation battling blazes in the region of Castilla and Leon, the regional government said on X, as Spain reeled from a series of fires fuelled by a summer heatwave.

As Spain enters its third week of heatwave alerts, firefighters continue to battle blazes in the northwest and west of the country, with army units deployed to help contain the blazes.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he had held a "coordination meeting" Saturday, as France and Italy sent water bombers to an air base near Salamanca to help with the firefighting efforts.

"The government continues to work to fight the fire with all the means at its disposal," he said on X.

The most serious forest fires were in the northwest and west of the country, in the regions of Castile and Leon, Galicia, Asturias and Extremadura.

Around 10 roads remain closed across the country, as well as the train line between Madrid and Galicia. Emergency services in Galicia sent alert messages urging residents in dozens of towns to take precautions.

"If you receive this alert: remain calm and read the text carefully," the alert said.

"As the fires spread, avoid all unnecessary travel and stay indoors. If you are outside and have nowhere to stay, move away from the affected areas."

Around 3,500 military from a special emergency unit were deployed around the country, with some political leaders calling for more.

Alfonso Fernandez Manueco, the centre-right president of Castile and Leon, asked Sanchez's government "for an exceptional response: we need more army personnel at the disposal of the regions".

Extremadura has also made an official request for reinforcements.

In Spain, firefighting is in principle the responsibility of the regions with the central government only intervening in the event of a major disaster.

Spain is expected to remain on heat alert until Monday, the extreme temperatures having significantly increased the risk of wildfires.

Smoke from wildfires in Spain and Portugal has reached the UK, the country's Met Office reported.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 157,000 hectares have been reduced to ashes in Spain, according to the real-time map of the European Forest Fire Information System (Effis).

AFP