Spain, wildfire
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Spain on Friday warned of "very high or extreme fire danger in most of the country," as firefighters there continue battling 14 blazes in temperatures up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
Firefighters in Spain, Portugal and Greece battled ongoing wildfires Friday, an important religious holiday in all three countries, as persistent hot, dry conditions challenged efforts to contain the blazes.
ATHENS, Greece -- Fire crews in Greece, Spain and Portugal raced to contain wildfires on Thursday, taking advantage of calmer winds that slowed the blazes even as much of southern Europe remained at high risk under hot, dry conditions.
Extreme heat and strong winds caused "fire whirls" as a blaze burned several houses and forced the evacuation of hundreds of people from near a UNESCO-listed national park in northern Spain, authorities said on Monday.
Europe’s wildfire crisis intensified as blazes across Greece, Spain, France and Portugal forced thousands to from their homes — killing at least six and consuming over 1 million acres amid record heat and worsening climate conditions.
A fire broke out in the historic mosque-turned-cathedral in Cordoba on Friday but the monument was saved as firefighters quickly contained and then extinguished it, the Spanish city's mayor said. "The monument is saved.
Mircea Spiridon, a 50-year-old Romanian man, died in the Spanish region of Tres Cantos while saving an 83-year-old man, the owner of the riding stables razed to the ground in the same fire. The Romanian arrived in Spain 20 years ago.
Spiridon was one of three people to die in Spain’s wildfires this week, each of them ordinary people who saw the flames and rushed to help.
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AFP on MSNSpain on heat alert and 'very high to extreme' fire risk
All of Spain was on heatwave alert on Friday, while the weather agency warned that much of the country was at "very high to extreme risk" from wildfires.