by By David Latona
Madrid (Reuters) -Volunteer fireman died of severe burns, and several people were hospitalized in dozens of forest fires, which were raged all over Spain on Wednesday and powered by strong winds and its scorching heat.
According to regional emergency services, at least six large fires were still out of control.
“The fire situation remains serious. Extreme caution is essential,” said Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on X.
Forest fires have burned almost 99,000 hectares (245,000 acres) in Spain this year, and extreme heat worsens the situation. A 10-day heat wave is expected to take until Monday, said the state weather authority Aemet and predicts an “extreme” risk of forest fires on Wednesday.
“We are the most difficult of the season,” said Aemet on X.
The man who was killed was a 35-year-old volunteer firefighter who tried to create fire broken near the city of Nogarejas in the Central Casty and Leon region when he was caught in the flame.
This fire had two active fronts that were still out of control because the weather services predicted another day with strong winds and thunderstorms.
More than 5,000 people were evacuated in the region and the efforts were geared towards preventing the flames from reaching smaller cities.
Environment Minister Sara Aageese told the Ser radio station that many fire in the whole country was deliberately caused by arson due to their “virulence”, but it was too early to say as many.
On Monday, another fire killed a man who worked on a horse stable on the outskirts of Madrid, and reached some houses and farms before it was contained.
The leader of the Galicia region in the northwest, Alfonso Rueda, described the situation “complicated” there and said the weather does not help. Six active fires worked out in the Oursese province of Galicia together with 10,000 hectares.
(Reporting by David Latonawriting by Charlie Devereuxediting by Bernadette Baum, Rachna Uppal and Frances Kerry)
