MADRID – Spain and neighbouring Portugal fought against large wildfires, while three people were badly injured after their train hurtled into a smaller Spanish blaze. Some 300 firefighters spent a difficult night battling a huge wildfire in southeastern Spain that has burnt through nearly 10,000 hectares in an area notoriously difficult to access, officials said Tuesday. “Three people suffered bad burn injuries,” the regional health authorities said, adding one had to be evacuated by helicopter to hospital. Portugal has suffered 195 wildfires so far this year, which have ravaged 84,717 hectares of land, EFFIS figures show. Fires have blazed across Europe, particularly in France, Greece and Portugal, making 2022 a record year for wildfires on the continent.

Source: The Nation August 18, 2022 08:38 UTC