MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th July, 2022) The massive wildfires in Spain have already spread to over 20,000 hectares (49,421 acres) of forest and claimed one life, media reported on Monday, citing municipality data.
Communities of Extremadura, Castile and Leon, Galicia, Andalusia and Catalonia were most affected, Spanish newspaper El Pais reported. According to preliminary estimates, the wildfires are linked to a major heatwave with the country experiencing temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
As of Sunday evening, there are 36 wildfires in Spain, with 24 raging out of control. About 2,300 people were forced to leave their homes, according to the report.
A fire in the Spanish city of Zamora, Castile and Leon region, killed a firefighter on duty, the report says.
As of July 3, since the beginning of the year, wildfires destroyed over 70,000 hectares of forest are, which is almost double the average for the past decade, according to the Spain's Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Emergencies.
