Medical and Hospital News
FIRE STORM
Spain, Portugal battle wildfires as temperatures soar
Spain, Portugal battle wildfires as temperatures soar
by AFP Staff Writers
Madrid (AFP) Aug 7, 2023

Firefighters in Spain and Portugal were battling to keep wildfires spanning thousands of hectares contained Monday as a scorching heatwave hit the Iberian peninsula, worsening conditions.

A thousand firefighters were deployed in central and southern Portugal, supported by 12 water-bombing planes, to battle blazes, according to the national civil protection authority.

At least nine crew have been injured in the southern fire near the town of Odemira, which is being fanned by winds, an official told local media.

Another fire near the central city of Castelo Branco has destroyed some 7,000 hectares (17,300 acres).

Meanwhile, three wildfires that scorched more than 1,000 hectares in Spain over the weekend were under control Monday, but the country remained on high hot weather alert as it faced its third heatwave of the summer.

The regions of Andalusia in the south, the central Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura in the west were placed on an orange alert with temperatures expected to reach 43 degrees Celsius (109 Fahrenheit) on Monday, according to Spain's weather agency Aemet.

Central and southern Portugal similarly is facing temperatures of over 40C, prompting a "very high or maximum" risk for fires.

It is the third summer heatwave to hit the Iberian peninsula, which is expected to last until Thursday.

A fire that broke around 10 kilometres (six miles) from the Spanish coastal city of Cadiz, a popular destination for tourists on the Atlantic Ocean, on Sunday had "stabilised" by midnight, the firefighting service Infoca said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Another fire, also under control, blackened some 450 hectares (1,100 acres) near the southwestern city of Huelva between Saturday and Sunday.

In Catalonia, on the Mediterranean coast near the French border, firefighters were working since Friday to extinguish a blaze, an effort that was being complicated by wind gusts.

Catalan fire officials said Monday on Twitter, which is being rebranded as X, that the blaze was now under control, though around 30 firefighting units were still on site where nearly 600 hectares burned, forest officials said.

Catalonia and Andalusia are the two regions most frequently hit by drought, creating conditions for fires to spark.

More than 70,000 hectares have burned in Spain since the beginning of the year, after a record in 2022 when more than 300,000 hectares were destroyed, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (Effis).

Experts say the greater frequency of heatwaves, which are also increasingly long and intense, is a consequence of climate change.

mdz/chz/giv/rox

X

Related Links
Forest and Wild Fires - News, Science and Technology

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
FIRE STORM
Fire near Spain's border with France spreading rapidly
Madrid (AFP) Aug 4, 2023
A forest fire on Spain's Mediterranean coast near the French border was spreading rapidly on Friday, fed by strong winds and surrounding a popular tourist site. The blaze in the Portbou area burned around 200 hectares (500 acres) in three hours and could spread over 400 hectares, Catalonia's regional government said in a statement. The Catalan fire service had ordered people not to leave the village of Colera and a campsite at Sant Miquel, said the region's civil protection service. The blaz ... read more

FIRE STORM
EU chief offers 400 mn euros to help flood-hit Slovenia

Little warning and 'huge' losses, say China flood victims

At least 16 killed in landslide in Georgia

China says natural disasters caused 147 deaths or disappearances in July

FIRE STORM
New Galileo station goes on duty

Potential earthquake precursor discovered through GPS measurements

Northrop Grumman's new airborne navigation system achieves successful flight test

Fugro and GomSpace deliver world class position and timing accuracy onboard LEO satellites

FIRE STORM
Indigenous groups call for bold steps at Amazon summit

Workers less productiv, make more typos in afternoon and especially on Fridays

Indigenous chiefs demand action from Brazil govt on land rights

New insights into the origin of the Indo-European languages

FIRE STORM
Biden, in environment push, protects lands near Grand Canyon

Two men arrested over wolf shooting in Hungary

Running wild: stray dogs threaten rare Balkan lynx

Protecting wildlife and restoring natural ecosystems

FIRE STORM
US widens blacklist of firms over Uyghur forced labor concerns

Ancient pathogens emerging from melting ice and permafrost risk eroding ecosystems

Croatia targets latest climate-change threat: mosquitoes

MIT researchers to lead a new center for continuous mRNA manufacturing

FIRE STORM
US says concerned over Chinese reclamation in Manila Bay

US House panel probes BlackRock, MSCI on China investment flow

Hong Kong public broadcaster cancels LGBTQ radio show

'Happy Dancing' routine boosts fitness in fast-ageing China

FIRE STORM
Report faults British government for 'dismal understanding' of Wagner threat

China tells Myanmar junta to 'root out' online scam groups

US sanctions Chinese, Mexican entities over drug equipment

Malaysia searches Chinese ship suspected of looting WWII wrecks

FIRE STORM
Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.