MADRID (dpa-AFX) – Despite falling temperatures, the holiday countries of Spain and Portugal are still burning in many places. In Spain, 22 fires were still active on Monday, according to civil defense. The regions of Extremadura in the west, Galicia in the north-west, Castile and León in the center and Catalonia in the north-east of the country were particularly affected. The burned body of a shepherd was found in Losacio, in Castilla y León, after the death of a firefighter over the weekend, authorities said on Monday.
“Climate change kills,” said Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday while visiting affected areas in Extremadura. “It kills people, as we have seen, but it also kills our ecosystem, our biodiversity. And it also destroys the most valuable goods in our society: their houses, their apartments, their companies, their livestock,” said the head of government.
According to official estimates, the fires that have been raging for about ten days in Spain have so far destroyed a total of 25,000 hectares of forest and dozens of houses, shops and factories. Thousands of people were brought to safety. Countless animals perished.
The fire in Pont de Vilomara, only about 50 kilometers north of the Catalan metropolis of Barcelona, caused great concern on Monday. There, the flames that broke out on Sunday destroyed 1,700 hectares of forest after less than 24 hours. The fire also affected numerous houses. The columns of smoke could be seen from miles away, including in Barcelona.
A drought that has lasted for months, the heat wave that has officially hit Spain since July 9 with temperatures of up to 45 degrees, and strong winds favored the outbreak and spread of the flames. The weather service Aemet also had good news ready on Monday: The heat wave will end on Tuesday.
Five major fires were still active in Portugal on Monday. According to the nature conservation authority ICNF, the flames in Portugal destroyed around 30,000 hectares of forest in just over a week
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