Almost 6,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in northern, central, and southern Spain due to wildfires that continue to rage amid a heatwave that could bring temperatures of 44°C in some parts of the country.
The deadly heatwave across large parts of Europe has created what scientists have dubbed a „Molotov cocktail” of weather conditions fueling vegetation fires, writes The Guardian.
A Romanian man from the town of Tres Cantos, near Madrid, has died in the hospital after suffering burns on 98% of his body.
The man was brought in critical condition to La Paz Hospital, where he passed away. According to Emergency Services sources, the victim was around 55 years old, of Romanian origin, and occasionally helped with vehicle repairs at a nearby equestrian center, as reported by El Mundo.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez conveyed his condolences to the man's family and thanked the emergency services for their efforts.
In the northwestern region of Castilla y León, over 3,700 people have been evacuated. Ten fires were active on Tuesday, and the Roman gold-mining site of Les Médulas, included in the UNESCO World Heritage, has been damaged by flames.
In the town of Tarifa in the south of the country, firefighters and planes were still battling a fire that broke out on Monday, with 2,000 people evacuated.
In neighboring Portugal, firefighters were battling three large vegetation fires in the central and northern parts of the country. Morocco is sending two aircraft to assist in extinguishing the fires after two Portuguese planes broke down.
In Italy, where temperatures of 40°C are expected in Florence at the end of this week, a four-year-old Romanian boy has died, and a red alert has been issued for seven major cities, including Bologna and Florence. The boy was found unconscious in the family car in Sardinia and was airlifted to a hospital in Rome but passed away on Monday.
Dozens of people have been evacuated from their homes in the Balkans as firefighters battle fires in Albania, Montenegro, and Croatia, where red alerts have been issued.
In Albania, hundreds of firefighters and soldiers have extinguished most of the nearly 40 fires that broke out in the last 24 hours, stated the Ministry of Defense, but over 10 were still active.
Since the beginning of July, nearly 34,000 hectares have been scorched nationally, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. Police say many of the fires were deliberate, with over 20 people arrested.