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Wildfires rampage through Spain and Portugal, resulting in increasing fatalities

Spain and Portugal grapple with multiple wildfires as military support, aerial firefighting efforts, and fatalities climb, with current death toll standing at six since the fires started earlier.

,   and  ASMedia
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Fires ravage Spain and Portugal, causing a rising number of fatalities
Fires ravage Spain and Portugal, causing a rising number of fatalities

Wildfires rampage through Spain and Portugal, resulting in increasing fatalities

Wildfires Ravage Spain and Portugal: A Crisis Unfolds

A devastating wildfire season is sweeping across Spain and Portugal, with over 400,000 hectares burned in Spain alone by late August 2025, marking the worst wildfire season on record since data collection began in 2006. The fires have claimed lives, destroyed homes, and ravaged forested and rural areas, including the UNESCO World Heritage site Las Médulas.

The exact death toll specific to the 2025 wildfires is not yet detailed, but the scale of destruction and the emergency response suggest significant human and environmental impact. Affected regions prominently include Ourense and other parts of northern Spain, with widespread fires also affecting Portugal.

Thousands of firefighters, military personnel, and water-bombing aircraft are battling the blazes. Spain is receiving firefighting aircraft from France, Italy, Slovakia, and the Netherlands, while Portugal is receiving air support from Sweden and Morocco. Locals are joining the efforts, using water from hoses and buckets to try to stop the spread of the fires.

The fires are concentrated in Galicia, Castile and Leon, and Extremadura regions. In a tragic turn of events, a former mayor in the eastern town of Guarda died on Friday while trying to tackle a fire, and two other volunteer firefighters have lost their lives in Castile and Leon. Two firefighters were killed in road accidents on Sunday, one in each country.

In Portugal, a firefighter died on Sunday night in a traffic accident that left two of his colleagues seriously injured. A woman in the town of O Barco de Valdeorras described the wildfire as "like a bomb" and "a hurricane". A Romanian employee of a riding school north of Madrid lost his life trying to protect horses from the fire.

Despite the efforts, the fires remain active but under firefighting efforts. Spain's Civil Protection and Emergencies reported 23 "active fires in operation status two", indicating a serious threat to the population. The fires have led to the evacuation of thousands of people from their homes.

Regarding international aid, the search results do not specify details about foreign assistance. Given the scale and transboundary nature of the fires, it is likely that EU emergency response coordination mechanisms, such as the European Commission's Emergency Response Coordination Centre, are involved. However, explicit accounts of international aid to Spain are not present in the sources.

Rain and falling temperatures have helped firefighters extinguish dozens of blazes in the Balkans, offering a glimmer of hope. As the situation continues to evolve, further updates from official Spanish emergency services or international agencies would provide more precise information on casualties and aid deployment.

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