Firefighters progressed on Thursday August 4 in their efforts to put an end to a forest fire, apparently of criminal origin, which started the day before in the region of Galicia (north-west of Spain) and has already destroyed 600 hectares.
The situation "
is evolving favorably
", announced Thursday morning in a press release the regional government of Galicia about this fire, which started Wednesday at midday in the territory of the municipality of Verín, in the province of Ourense, bordering northern Portugal.
“
There is no danger for inhabited areas
”, continues the press release, which specifies that the large number of firefighters on site are supported by around twenty aircraft.
“
Everything indicates an intentionality
“, That is to say a criminal origin, adds the regional government about the cause of the fire, which would have started in several different places.
Spain was hit by numerous fires last month, due in particular to a long heat wave.
Since the beginning of the year, 354 fires having destroyed nearly 230,000 hectares have been recorded, according to the European Information System on Forest Fires (EFFIS, according to its English acronym).
This is the largest area destroyed of any European country.
Read alsoSpain: calm on the fire front
Spain has been going through a third period of extreme heat since the end of last week, marked by temperatures above 40° in many parts of the country.
However, the National Meteorological Agency (AEMET) predicts for this Thursday a slight drop in temperatures throughout the country, with the exception of Andalusia (south), where temperatures should again reach 40°.
The resurgence of these scorching heat waves is, according to experts, a direct consequence of global warming, which increases their intensity, duration and frequency.