Spain and Portugal are battling severe wildfires as scorching temperatures continue to hit the Mediterranean countries.
In Spain, a forest fire in Trabazos, Zamora Province, has burned 200 hectares of land. More than 50 firefighters and at least five helicopters and hydro airplanes are attempting to control the fire.
A Spanish military emergency unit (UME) joined the extinguishing efforts overnight, and authorities said on Sunday morning that progress was being made, adding that they expect evacuated residents to come back during the day.
The wildfire forced the evacuation on Saturday of residents of the nearby town of Sejas de Aliste and the closure of a national road.
Troops on duty during a forest fire in Trabazos, Zamora, Spain, August 17, 2024. /CFP
Meanwhile, hundreds of Portuguese firefighters on Sunday scrambled to put out a wildfire sweeping parts of the Atlantic island of Madeira's south coast, a popular tourist destination, with strong winds complicating efforts to tackle the blaze.
The wildfire, which started on Wednesday in a remote rural area of Ribeira Brava, has spread to the neighboring municipality of Camara de Lobos and now has three fronts, island authorities said.
Nearly 200 firefighters backed by 38 vehicles are tackling the fire but high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds are complicating efforts to combat the flames. A helicopter also battled the blaze but had to stop operating as the night set in.
"This fire, which is very dangerous, I have no doubt it was caused by arson in an inaccessible area where air support could not operate," the president of the Regional Government of Madeira, Miguel Albuquerque, told reporters.
No injuries or fatalities have been reported, but 160 people have been evacuated as a precaution, he said.
The entire coastline of Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal home to around 250,000 people, has been placed on orange alert, the second highest level, until Monday, due to high temperatures.
Portugal sent a force of 76 firefighters from the mainland to Madeira on Saturday and the neighboring Azores archipelago was due to send 15 firefighters on Sunday evening.
(With input from Reuters)