The human toll extends to those risking their lives on the frontlines. Thousands of firefighters, supported by Spain’s military and fleets of water-bombing aircraft, are working around the clock to control the blazes. Their task is immense.
Virginia Barcones, head of Spain’s Civil Protection and Emergencies, told broadcaster TVE that there were currently 23 “active fires in operation status two”, the second-highest emergency level, indicating serious and immediate danger to local populations.
Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles described the enormity of the challenge:
“It’s a very difficult, very complicated situation.”
She explained that the scale of the fires and the density of the smoke — thick enough to be seen from space — were severely hindering “airborne action.”
Tragically, several of those on the frontlines have already lost their lives. In Castile and Leon, a firefighter was killed when his water truck overturned on a steep forest road. Officials said:
“For an unknown reason, the vehicle approached the embankment and overturned, falling down a steep slope.”
Two more volunteer firefighters also died in the region, adding to the heavy toll on Spain’s emergency services.