In several places in southern Europe, large forest fires are raging on Sunday, fueled by dry and hot weather.
The fire in Catalonia, which broke out in a wooded area about 100 kilometers west of Barcelona on the evening of 24 July, has already burned out more than 1,200 hectares of forest and agricultural land.
About 300 firefighters and Spanish soldiers are involved in the fight against the flames, but their work is hampered by the difficult terrain, which in some places does not allow access to the burning forests on the dirt roads, so special planes and helicopters are involved in extinguishing the flames.
Meanwhile, farmers are urged to urgently plow buffer zones in their crops to prevent the spread of flames.
According to El Periodico, this is the biggest forest fire that has broken out in Catalonia this year.
About 80 people have had to flee their homes, 28 children and 14 workers have been evacuated from a nearby children’s summer camp, and wind-borne ash particles have already reached the outskirts of Barcelona.
More than 1,000 firefighters and other operational staff have been involved in fighting the forest fire in the south of France, between Narbonne and Carcassonne, where 8.5 square kilometers of forest have been burnt since Saturday. People have not been affected by the fire, but it has affected high-voltage power lines, causing widespread power outages not only in France but also in Spain and Portugal.
On the Italian island of Sardinia, nearly 400 people were evacuated from their homes the night before due to a severe wildfire, but some of them have already been allowed to return home on Sunday. Several buildings have been damaged, but there are no human casualties.
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