Cristina Hodgson
SPANISH authorities have confirmed that at least 60,000 hectares of forest and agricultural land in Spain have gone up in flames in the last 10 days.
The total area burnt in Galicia and in the province of Zamora is approximately 40,000 hectares, according to initial estimates.
Of these, almost 20,000 hectares in the 16 fires in Galicia, more than 20,000 in Zamora and the rest in the other affected communities.
In total, one firefighter and one shepherd have died in the blazes, with some 8,000 people evacuated in recent days due to the 40 wildfires that have affected Spain, more than half of which are still active with varying degrees of severity.
According to the Minister for Territorial Policy and government spokesperson, Isabel Rodriguez, 70,000 hectares of forest and agricultural land have been charred by wildfires so far this year.
In fact, the number of wildfires that have torn through Spain so far this year, 2022, is already double the average number of fires recorded in the last decade.
During the unprecedented heatwave, dozens of cities across Spain have smashed records for hottest-ever temperatures.
READ MORE:
- Wildfire claims second life as Spain’s heatwave enters eighth day and almost entire country at ‘extreme fire risk’
- Mijas wildfire in Spain’s Costa del Sol declared under control after burning 1,870 hectares
- Spain counts the toll of week long heatwave with at least 360 dead
