Third death toll from fires ravaging the state

BarcelonaFlames have been raging across Spain for the sixth consecutive day, and three people have now died in the fires. In the last few hours, a 37-year-old man died. He suffered burns to 85% of his body while helping to extinguish the fire in Molezuelas de Carballeda, between Zamora and León, which is estimated to have already destroyed some 37,000 hectares. His name was Jaime Aparicio Vidales, and when he was injured, he was working on extinguishing the fire with the other fatality: Abel Ramos, 35. Both were working as volunteers. This week, a man also died in the Tres Cantos fire (Madrid), which left 98% of his body burned while trying to save some horses.

This Thursday, there are ten major level 2 fires active in Spain, meaning they pose a risk to people and property, according to data from the National Emergency Monitoring and Coordination Center. The greatest impact is concentrated in Castilla y León (with twenty active fires and record numbers of hectares burned in León and Zamora), Galicia, Extremadura, Asturias, and the Valencian Community. The fire in Zamora is already the largest of the year, and initial estimates suggest it could be the most devastating on record in Spain.

Due to the unfavorable evolution of the fires burning in the center and northwest of the country, Renfe announced on Thursday afternoon that it is suspending all high-speed train services between Madrid and Galicia and between the Spanish capital, Zamora, and Ourense. The suspension of trains will continue at least until tomorrow due to the proximity of the flames and smoke to railway infrastructure.

This morning, the Civil Guard arrested the suspect in charge of starting the fire in Puercas (Zamora) for gross negligence. The fire, which has burned more than 4,500 hectares since Monday and left five people injured, four of whom are still hospitalized, for gross negligence. During the day, two residents of Olveiroa (A Coruña) were also arrested, accused of eight forest fire offenses on the Costa da Morte. In addition, in Ourense, the Civil Guard arrested a 46-year-old resident of A Gudiña, suspected of starting two fires in Oímbra.

The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, also reported this morning that three people had been arrested so far as alleged arsonists in recent days in Spain, but he also said that other investigations are open. In fact, since the beginning of summer, around thirty people have been arrested for starting fires throughout Spain.

Spain asks the EU for help

Faced with this alarming situation, Spain has activated the mechanism to request assistance from the European Union to combat the wave of fires. Specifically, it requested "two high-capacity Canadair aircraft" that arrived this afternoon in Santiago de Compostela (Galicia) from France. The aircraft are specialized in firefighting tasks and can carry up to 5,000 liters of water. The request was made for "weather forecast reasons," as Marlaska explained on TVE, since temperatures are expected to rise again throughout the day today, and the central government does not rule out requesting more help from the European Union. Furthermore, the Spanish government has deployed 100% of its UME personnel and more than fifty aircraft resources throughout the state.

In addition, the minister explained that they are conducting an ongoing assessment with the autonomous communities on how the fires are progressing. After The PP's criticism of the Spanish government's absenceThe minister said that for now, raising the emergency level has not been considered, and that it would be the State that would take control. "Management by the autonomous communities with the help of the State is now the optimal and effective way [to put out the fires]," said Marlaska, although he warned that if any autonomous community did not or could not adequately manage the fight against the fire, the emergency level would be raised.

Thousands of people evacuated

In addition to the three fatalities, the fires have left several injured and more than 10,000 evacuees, mainly in the province of León, where the virulence of the flames and the poor forecast have forced more than 8,000 residents to flee their homes. Specifically, these have been in the municipalities of Molezuelas de la Carballeda - Castrocalbón (where the fire originated), Yeres, and Llamas de Cabrera. Residents have also been evacuated in Zamora and Ourense, and transportation and mobility issues have been disrupted across the state, coinciding with the emergency exit operation ahead of the August 15th holiday: at least 13 roads have been closed due to the blazes.

Valencian firefighters are also working to extinguish a fire in Teresa de Cofrentes, in the Valencian Community, caused by a lightning strike on Wednesday afternoon. According to the Emergency Coordination Center of the Valencian Government, seven aerial vehicles, eight crews, and seven forestry brigades from the Valencian Fire Department are currently working, as well as seven ground units and seven fire engines from the Valencian Government. Specifically to work on this fire, firefighters from the Valencia Provincial Consortium suspended their ongoing work stoppage. The Forestry Brigades of the Community of Madrid have also halted their strike and will remain on hold until August 25th given the "devastating situation" across the state.

There is also some good news amidst all the desolation. During the night, firefighters managed to extinguish the fire in Navalmoralejo (Toledo), which burned more than 3,200 hectares, and they were also able to stabilize the Dozón-O Castro fire in Pontevedra, which has so far affected an area of 400 hectares.

The wave of forest fires is taking its toll especially on relatively unpopulated rural areas and has affected much of the farmland. So far this year, 18,229 hectares of farms have been burned. Catalonia tops the list of the most affected regions, followed by Andalusia. Data from the consortium of agricultural insurance companies Agroseguro estimates the compensation for these incidents at 2.5 million euros, of which more than 1 million corresponds to damage to herbaceous crops in Catalonia, specifically to cereal farms in Lleida.