As relentless wildfires continue to ravage the Iberian Peninsula, two firefighters have tragically lost their lives in Spain and Portugal, underscoring the escalating human toll of Europe’s climate crisis.
Spain, now entering its third consecutive week under heatwave alerts, is battling fierce blazes across the regions of Castilla y León, Galicia, Asturias, and Extremadura. One firefighter was killed when his truck overturned on a steep forest road in Castile and León, a region particularly hard-hit by the fires. The incident brings Spain’s wildfire-related death toll to four in recent weeks.
In neighboring Portugal, a firefighter died on Sunday in a devastating crash while en route to combat flames in Quinta do Campo, Fundão. Three others were critically injured in the same accident, which occurred when their truck plunged into a ravine in São Francisco de Assis. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa expressed heartfelt condolences and praised the courage and dedication of the nation’s firefighting teams.
The wildfires have scorched over 70,000 hectares in Spain and nearly 185,000 hectares in Portugal this year, surpassing last year’s totals and prompting both nations to request emergency assistance from the European Union. Thousands of firefighters remain deployed across both countries, supported by military units and water-bombing aircraft.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited affected areas and called for a “national pact” to address the climate emergency. Experts warn that successive heatwaves and prolonged droughts—exacerbated by climate change—are fueling increasingly destructive fire seasons across southern Europe.