<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/18/wildfires-spain-portugal-heat-extreme-temperatures-southern-europe>
"Relentless heat and raging wildfires continue to ravage southern Europe, with
one-quarter of weather stations in Spain recording 40C temperatures, as the
prime minister urged people to “leave the climate emergency outside of partisan
struggles”.
The Spanish weather agency Aemet recorded a high of 45.8C in Cádiz on Sunday,
while one in eight weather stations nationwide hit peaks of at least 42C (108F)
. The agency warned of “very high or extreme fire danger” in most of the
country in a post on social media on Monday.
“Although the heatwave is starting to subside, very high temperatures will
still be reached today in the east and south of the peninsula,” it said. “Be
cautious.”
Deadly fires have burned 348,000 hectares in Spain this year, according to
preliminary data published by Copernicus on Monday, charring even more land
than when the previous record was set in 2022.
A fourth person was killed by the fires in Spain when a firefighting truck
overturned on a steep forest road, while in neighbouring Portugal, where
216,000 hectares have burned, another firefighter died, bringing the national
death toll to two.
Civil protection authorities in Spain said 31,130 people have been evacuated
from their homes in the last week.
The Spanish government said on Sunday that an extra 500 soldiers would join the
1,400 troops trying to bring deadly wildfires under control. The prime
minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced a “state pact” to tackle the climate
emergency as he visited Ourense and León, one of the regions engulfed by
flames.
“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,” Sánchez said. “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.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
