MADRID: Spain battled against 14 major fires on Friday as authorities warned of “unfavorable conditions” to tackle fires that have already killed seven people and burned more than 150,000 hectares (579 square miles).
A 12-day heatwave and southerly winds meant firefighters were facing another challenging day in one of the worst summers for fires in the past 20 years, said Virginia Barcones, director general of emergency services.
“In the western part of the country the situation is extremely worrying,” Barcones said on RTVE.
In Galicia, several fronts had joined together to form an even bigger blaze forcing the closure of highways and rail services to the region.
The national weather agency AEMET warned of extreme fire risk in the north and west of the country, as temperatures expected to reach as high as 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on the north coast were set to add fuel to the flames.
