“It is a fire that can be better contained,” said Civil Protection Coordinator Nieves Villar this Saturday, May 20, from Pinofranqueado, a place near the burning forest, explaining that we are still “far from to be able to say that”. is under control”.
The Spanish and Portuguese firefighters who have mobilized against the blaze, which is affecting an area of 8,500 hectares in the Spanish region of Extremadura (west), hoped to deal it a “big blow” this Saturday, May 20, they said the authorities. “There are many resources on the ground and the work we are doing is very intense,” said civil protection coordinator Nieves Villar, noting that there was little wind in the area. “It’s a fire that can be better contained,” said Nieves Villar, from Pinofranqueado, a town near the burning forest, stressing that we’re still “far from saying it’s under control.”
About 700 residents were evacuated
Firefighters from Portugal joined their Spanish counterparts, the coordinator explained, noting that there were “more than 600 participants”. Overall, the disaster area measures between “8,000 and 8,500 hectares, but (…) it will take a few more days before the contours can be drawn more precisely,” the coordinator specified. About 700 residents have been evacuated from their homes and there are no plans to return home at this time. David Barona, commander of the Military Emergency Unit (UME), told state broadcaster TVE that “fire is currently contained in one area and work is being done to prevent it escaping from there”.
While summer, the season of wildfires, has not yet started, Spain has already suffered several casualties after becoming the hardest-hit country in Europe with almost 500 fires burning more than 300,000 hectares in 2022, according to European Forest Fire Information was system (EFFIS).
Spain, a European country at the forefront of climate change, has been experiencing an increase in heat waves for several years, with increasingly rare and erratic rainfall. According to the National Meteorological Agency, the first quarter of this year was the “driest” since records began in 1961.
To the marked lack of rainfall was added a very early wave of extreme temperatures at the end of April, which reached an all-time high for the month of April in mainland Spain of 38.8ºC, a level more characteristic of the summer month. Summer like July or August.