BARCELONA, Spain (AP) – Firefighters in Spain and Germany battled wildfires on Sunday amid an unusual heat wave in Western Europe at this time of year.
The worst damage in Spain has hit the northwestern province of Zamora, where more than 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) have been engulfed, regional authorities said, while German authorities said residents of three villages near Berlin have been ordered to flee their homes. due to the approaching forest fire on Sunday.
Spanish authorities said that after three days of high temperatures, strong winds and low humidity, there was some rest with the lowering of temperatures on Sunday morning. This allowed about 650 firefighters, backed by water-discharge planes, to establish a perimeter around the fire that started in the Sierra de la Culebra in Zamora. Authorities warned that there was still a danger that the unfavorable change in weather would revive the fire that caused the evacuation of 18 villages.
Spain is on the alert for intense forest fires as the country warms at record temperatures in many parts of the country in June. Experts attribute the unusually hot period for Europe to climate change. Thermometers have risen above 40 C (104 F) in many Spanish cities throughout the week – temperatures are usually expected in August.
The lack of rainfall this year, combined with gusts of wind, created the conditions for the fires.
Authorities said gusts of up to 70 km / h (43 mph) that changed course unevenly, combined with temperatures close to 40 ° C, made crews very difficult.
“The fire managed to cross a 500-meter-wide tank and reach the other side to give you an idea of the difficulties we are facing,” Juan Suarez-Quinones, a Castilian-Leon official from Spain, told Spanish state television TVE.
The fire in Zamora began with an electric storm on Wednesday, authorities said. The spread of the fire caused the suspension of the high-speed train from Madrid to northwestern Spain on Saturday. He was reinstated Sunday morning.
Military fire brigades are located in Zamora, Navarre and Lleida.
No casualties were reported, but the flames have reached the outskirts of some villages in both Zamora and Navarre. Videos taken by passengers in cars show flames licking sides of the road. In other villages, residents watched in despair as black feathers rose from the nearby hills.
In central northern Navarre, authorities evacuated about 15 small villages as a precautionary measure, as high temperatures in the area are not expected to fall until Wednesday.
They also asked farmers to stop using heavy machinery that could inadvertently cause a fire.
“The situation remains delicate. We have various active fires due to extremely high temperatures and strong winds, “Navarre Regional Vice President Javier Remires told TVE.
Remirez said some villages have seen damaged buildings on their outskirts.
Some wildlife had to be evacuated from a Navarra animal park and taken to the bullring for safekeeping, authorities said.
Forest fires have also been active in three parts of northeastern Catalonia: Lleida, Tarragona and the Garaf Natural Park, south of Barcelona.
Firefighters said 2,700 hectares (6,600 acres) had been burned in Lleida. They added that they had responded to more than 200 different forest fires in Catalonia alone in the past week.
Germany has also seen numerous forest fires in recent days after a period of intense heat and light rainfall. The country’s National Meteorological Agency said mercury reached 39.2 C (102.6 F) in the eastern cities of Dresden and Cottbus on Sunday.
Strong winds ignited a fire near the town of Troienbritzen, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) southwest of Berlin, prompting authorities to order three villages to be evacuated on Sunday.
About 600 people in Fronsdorf, Tiefenbrunnen and Klausdorf were told to seek shelter in a community center immediately.
“This is not a workout,” tweeted city officials.
More than 1,400 firefighters, soldiers and civil protection experts have been sent to deal with the blaze, which also affected a former military training area known to be contaminated with ammunition.
Authorities expressed hope late Sunday that thunderstorms coming from the west would help put out the fires.
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Frank Jordans contributed to this report from Berlin.
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