At Least 6 Dead, Including 2 Firefighters, as Dozens of Wildfires Burn amid Ongoing Heat Wave

At least six people have died as wildfires continue to rage across Spain and Portugal.

Multiple blazes are consuming areas in both countries amid a persistent heatwave, reports The Guardian and the BBC.

Virginia Barcones, head of Spain’s Civil Protection and Emergencies, told broadcaster TVE that authorities are currently battling 23 “active fires,” according to Agence France-Presse.

In Spain’s Castile and León region, one firefighter lost his life when a truck plunged down a steep slope on Sunday, Aug. 17, the BBC reported.

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of Portugal confirmed that another firefighter died in a tragic traffic accident on the same day.

The death toll now stands at two in Portugal and four in Spain, as the fires persist into their second week, according to AFP. The flames are mostly concentrated in the northwest regions of Galicia, Castile and León, and Extremadura.

More than 31,000 residents in Spain have been evacuated from their homes as the fires spread, according to The Guardian.

To reinforce firefighting efforts, the Spanish government has deployed an additional 500 soldiers to join over 1,400 troops already on the ground.

Hundreds of thousands of acres have been scorched in both countries, as firefighters work tirelessly to contain the blazes.

These wildfires are occurring amid a severe European heatwave, with temperatures soaring up to 45.8 degrees Celsius (114 degrees Fahrenheit), reports The Guardian.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez emphasized the urgency of addressing the crisis, stating, “We need a strategy that anticipates a better, more secure and more equitable response for our fellow citizens in the face of the worsening and accelerating effects of the climate emergency in our country.”

He added, “And that requires a great state pact that leaves the climate emergency outside of partisan struggles and ideological issues, where we focus on scientific evidence and act accordingly.”