Four dead as Spain hit by worst wildfires on record in 45C [113F] heatwave
www.independent.co.uk

... Four people have been killed in Spain as southern Europe is hit by its worst wildfires on record.

Authorities in Madrid have deployed nearly 3,000 troops to help firefighters tackle blazes that have devastated swathes of the country, as temperatures hit highs of 45C.

A severe 16-day-long heatwave has fuelled around 20 wildfires, burning more than 115,000 hectares in the regions of Galicia and Castile and Leon over the past week. ...

In neighbouring Portugal, wildfires have burned about 216,200 hectares so far this year, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) - more than four times the 2006-2024 average for this period - and two people have died.

Southern Europe is experiencing one of its worst wildfire seasons in two decades, with Spain and Portugal among the hardest-hit countries. ...

Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service. Scientists say that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness in parts of Europe, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires. ...