A firefighter is working in front of a blaze during a series of wildfires in the Sierra de la Culebra Zamora Provence on Saturday, June 18, 2022. Thousands of acres of forested hills in northwestern Spain have been gutted by wildfires that have forced hundreds to evacuate the country people from nearby villages. Officials say the blaze, which erupted in the Sierra de Culebra mountains, began on Wednesday during a dry electric storm. Firefighters in Spain and Germany are working hard to stave off wildfires on Sunday amid the heat wave in Western Europe at this time of year.
The worst damage in Spain has been in the northwestern province of Zamora where more than 25,000 hectares (61,000 hectares) have been confiscated, regional officials say, and German officials say residents of three villages near Berlin have been ordered to leave their homes due to the proximity wildfire on Sunday.
Spanish authorities said after three days of high temperatures, high winds and low humidity, some relaxation came with a drop in temperatures on Sunday morning. That allowed about 650 fire-supported firefighters to locate a fire station that started at the Sierra de la Culebra in Zamora. Authorities have warned that there is still a risk that unfavorable climate change could rekindle the fire that caused the evacuation of 18 villages. Spain has been vigilant in the wake of intense wildfires as the country fluctuates below record levels in most parts of the country in June. . Experts link the time of unusual European temperatures with climate change. Temperatures have risen above 40 degrees Fahrenheit [40 ° C] in most Spanish cities for a week the expected temperature in August.
The lack of rain this year combined with strong winds has created fire conditions. “The fire was able to cross a lake 500 meters wide and reach the other side, giving you an idea of ​​the difficulties we are facing,” Juan Suárez-Quiñones, an official in the Castilla y León region, told Spanish state television TVE. The fire in Zamora was started by a power outage on Wednesday, authorities said. The blaze has caused a high-speed train from Madrid to northwestern Spain to be shut down on Saturday. It was re-launched Sunday morning. Firefighters have been deployed in Zamora, Navarra, and Lleida. No casualties were reported, but the flames reached the ends of some villages in Zamora and Navarra. Videos captured by passengers in cars showed flames licking the sidewalks. In some villages, villagers watched in despair as dark hills climbed the nearby hills
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