Dozens of wildfires have scorched thousands of acres of land in Spain as a heatwave that is on its seventh day continued to suffocate the country on Saturday (July 16).
A blaze that began on Tuesday (July 12) in the Extremadura region has swept into the neighbouring Salamanca province, in the region of Castile and Leon, where firefighters have been unable to control the fires.
At Casas de Miravete in Extremadura, firefighters worked overnight on a blaze that started on Thursday (July 14) afternoon and forced the evacuation of over 300 people from two nearby towns.
In southern Spain, firefighters are also battling a blaze in Malaga province, where over 3000 people have been evacuated as a precautionary measure.
The heatwave is set to last through to Sunday (July 17), but temperatures are still expected to be high.
The Health Institutute at Carlos III Univeristy in Madrid reported that 360 people have died due to to heat related health issues over the period of July 10 – 15, and 123 of them died on Friday alone.
(Reuters)
