Wildfires Claim Firefighters’ Lives in Spain and Portugal Amid Relentless Heatwave
Two firefighters have died in Spain and Portugal as devastating wildfires continue to sweep across the Iberian peninsula, fueled by a prolonged heatwave. Authorities confirmed Monday that both fatalities occurred in road accidents while battling the blazes, bringing the death toll to two in Portugal and four in Spain since the fires began in recent weeks. Spain, now entering its third week of heat alerts, has deployed emergency services and specialist army units to combat fires in its northwest and western regions, while Portugal has mobilized thousands of firefighters across its territory. Both countries have appealed to the European Union for support.
In Spain’s Castile and Leon region, a firefighter was killed when his truck overturned on a steep forest road, local authorities reported. Fires have destroyed more than 70,000 hectares of land in Spain in just a matter of days—almost half of the total recorded this year, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (Effis).
Defence Minister Margarita Robles warned that these fires are unlike anything seen in the last two decades, stressing the role of climate change and soaring temperatures, which have reached 45°C. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, visiting one of the affected regions on Sunday, called for a “national pact” to address the climate emergency.
In Portugal, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa confirmed that a firefighter died on Sunday, while two colleagues were seriously injured. The tragedy follows the death of a former mayor in Guarda, who perished while battling flames last Friday. By Monday morning, about 2,000 firefighters were deployed across northern and central Portugal, with half engaged in containing fires around Arganil.
Nearly 185,000 hectares of land have been scorched in Portugal since January, already surpassing last year’s total of 136,000. Experts warn that recurring heatwaves and droughts, intensified by climate change, are driving the scale and frequency of these destructive wildfires across southern Europe.
