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Spain is battling 14 major fires and more are expected

Spain fought 14 major fires on Friday, exacerbated by high winds. Authorities warned that "unfavourable" conditions were present to combat the flames. Seven people have died and an area as large as London has been burned.

In one of the most severe wildfire seasons in the last 20 years, firefighters have battled to extinguish blazes throughout southern Europe. Virginia Barcones said that a heatwave lasting nearly two weeks and the southerly wind were aggravating the situation in Spain.

Barcones, a reporter for RTVE, said that the situation in the west part of the country is very worrying.

In Galicia several fires converged to create a large fire, forcing the closures of highways, rail and other services in the region.

Some people stayed to protect their homes as fires spread from Galicia’s Ourense Province to the neighbouring Zamora.

Loli Baz (52), from Villanueva de la Sierra, Zamora, said: "We're waiting for the flames to die down so we can stop them before they reach the houses."

The Spanish weather agency AEMET has warned that extreme fire risks are possible in the west and north of the country. Temperatures could reach as high as 40 degrees Celsius on the coast of the north.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X that "Today is going to be another difficult day with a high risk of fires."

FIRES SPREADING FAST

The fire that started near Molezuelas de la Carballeda, in Castile and Leon, is one of the biggest in Spanish history. It has not progressed since Thursday.

Eduardo Diego said that the wildfire spread at one time by 4,000 hectares (15,4 square miles) an hour.

In the meantime, an blaze near Badajoz, in the region of Extremadura, had burned 2,500 acres in just a few short hours before it was brought under control.

Jose Luis Quintana is the representative of the National Government for the Region.

The fires forced the closure of over half a dozen major roads during a bank holiday weekend. This left travelers stranded at the height summer holidays.

Police said that in the town of Oimbra, Ourense, where three firefighters suffered serious injuries, a man has been arrested for setting fire to his tractor, which was forbidden.

According to the Interior Ministry, two people were arrested in Costa da Morte (Galicia) for illegally burning copper cable to extract metal.

According to the Forest Fire Information Service of the European Union, wildfires have scorched more than 157,000 ha in Spain this year. This is almost twice the average annual amount.

In Portugal, thousands of firefighters are battling five major fires in the central and northern regions of the country. One of these fires, in Trancoso (about 350 km northeast from Lisbon), has been burning for six days.

After a wildfire broke on Wednesday, around 300 residents of the village of Covanca, near Piodao in central Portugal, were evacuated.

According to Mario Silvestre, the civil protection commander in Portugal, Portugal has requested four Canadair aircraft. (Reporting and editing by Toby Chopra, Joe Bavier, Toby Chopra, and Joe Bavier; Ana Cantero, Charlie Devereux and Andrei Khalip)

(source: Reuters)