Mon Aug 18 13:57:09 UTC 2025: **FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
**Iberian Peninsula Engulfed in Devastating Wildfires: Death Toll Rises, Emergency Services Overwhelmed**
**Lisbon, Portugal/Madrid, Spain –** Wildfires are raging across Spain and Portugal, straining emergency services and claiming at least six lives as a heatwave fuels the blazes. Thousands of firefighters, supported by military personnel, are battling dozens of active fires that have already scorched vast swathes of land.
According to Al Jazeera’s Sonia Gallego, reporting from Tarouca, Portugal, emergency services are under “enormous strain” dealing with what appear to be some of the worst fires the region has seen in years. While the blazes in Tarouca are now under control, concerns remain about potential flare-ups.
Tragically, two firefighters lost their lives on Sunday in separate road accidents, one in each country. The Portuguese President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, confirmed the death of a firefighter and the serious injury of two others in a traffic accident. In Spain, a firefighter died when the water truck he was driving overturned on a steep forest road.
A former mayor in Guarda, Portugal, also died while attempting to combat a fire on Friday. In Spain, two volunteer firefighters in Castile and Leon lost their lives and a Romanian employee of a riding school died trying to save horses north of Madrid.
Since the start of the year, approximately 2,160 square kilometers of land have been consumed by fire in Portugal. Spain has seen even greater devastation, with over 3,430 square kilometers burned, setting a new national record according to the European Forest Fire Information System.
Virginia Barcones, head of Spain’s Civil Protection and Emergencies agency, stated that there are 23 “active fires” posing a significant threat to the population, concentrated in the northwestern regions of Galicia, Castile and Leon, and Extremadura. In the province of Ourense, Galicia, locals are desperately assisting firefighters using hoses and buckets in an attempt to halt the advancing flames.
The wildfires, now in their second week, have been attributed to the prolonged heatwaves and drought conditions gripping Southern Europe. Experts have linked these extreme weather events to climate change. The situation remains critical, and emergency services are working tirelessly to contain the blazes and protect lives and property.
First Piper 