About 1,500 residents of several cities in northeastern Spain have had to flee their homes because of a wildfire that got out of hand. The flames in the region around the town of Añón de Moncayo, about 70 kilometers west of the city of Zaragoza, are being fanned by strong gusts of wind, a firefighter said on Spanish state television channel RTVE on Sunday. In addition, the wind direction is constantly changing. The situation is critical.
TV showed residents of the region, already shrouded in acrid smoke, trying to extinguish the flames on the outskirts of the villages with garden hoses and buckets of water.
Forest fire caused by lightning
They were assisted by 300 professional firefighters. Also further south in Jumilla near Murcia, the fire brigade fought a forest fire with strong winds, which is said to have been caused by lightning.
Continued drought for months
Combined with months of drought and intense heat, which experts attribute to climate change, and very dry air, wildfires are recurring.
2022 is the most devastating year of wildfires for Spain since records began. According to measurements from the European Earth observation system Copernicus, more than 260,000 hectares have been destroyed by nearly 388 forest fires since the beginning of the year.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
