Third fatality in the fires that ravage the State

BarcelonaThe flames are spreading wildly across the country, 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 put out the fire in Molezuelas de Carballeda, between Zamora and León. 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 lost his life in the Tres Cantos fire (Madrid), which left 98% of his body burned while he was trying to save some horses.

At this point, there are a total of eleven major active level 2 fires in the country, meaning they pose a risk to people and property, according to data from the National Emergency Monitoring and Coordination Center, which was made public this morning. The greatest damage is concentrated in Castile and León (with record numbers in León and Zamora, where more than 38,000 hectares have already burned), Galicia, Extremadura, Asturias, and the Valencian Community. The Zamora fire is already the largest of the year.

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," as announced Wednesday night by Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska in statements to Cadena Ser radio. The minister told RTVE that these aircraft—specialized in firefighting tasks and capable of carrying up to 5,000 liters of water—are expected to arrive in Santiago de Compostela (Galicia) this morning from the EU states that have ceded them to the country, so that they can be incorporated into the firefighting efforts. The request was made for "weather forecast reasons," the minister explained, as temperatures are expected to rise again this Thursday, and the central government is not ruling out requesting more aid from the European Union.

In addition, the minister explained that they are conducting a constant assessment with the autonomous communities on how the fires are progressing. After The PP's criticism of the Spanish government's absence, the minister has said that for now there is no consideration of raising the emergency level and that it will be the State that takes 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 has warned that if any autonomous community does not or cannot adequately manage the fight against the fire, the emergency level would be raised.

At the same time, the minister has reported that so far there are three people arrested as alleged instigators of the fires, but he has also said that other investigations are open. In fact, Since the beginning of summer, 25 people have been arrested for setting fires across the state..

In addition to the three fatalities, there are several injured and more than 10,000 evacuees, mainly in the province of León, where the virulence of the flames and the poor prognosis have forced more than 8,000 residents to leave their homes. Specifically, 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. Transport and mobility issues have also been impacted throughout the country: at least 13 roads have been closed due to the flames, and Renfe announced early this morning that train service between Galicia and Madrid remains disrupted due to the fires in the province of Ourense.

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 Valencian Government's Emergency Coordination Center, seven aerial vehicles, eight crews, and seven forestry brigades from the Valencian Fire Department, as well as seven ground units and seven fire engines from the Valencian Government, are currently working.

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 in relatively unpopulated rural areas and has affected many farmlands. So far this year, 18,229 hectares of farmland have been burned. Catalonia tops the list of the most affected regions, followed by Andalusia. According to data from the consortium of agricultural insurance companies Agroseguro, the compensation for these incidents will be estimated 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.