EU sending wildfire help to Spain as death toll rises

The European Union is sending two planes to help Spain tackle raging wildfires, after the country activated an EU disaster assistance mechanism for fires for the first time ever.

Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told local media he had requested two water bomber aircraft from the EU to be deployed to the worst affected areas.

The help comes as a third person has been killed battling a wildfire in the north-west León region.

Spain’s state weather agency AEMET has warned that a heatwave will continue until Monday, with temperatures set to exceed 44C in some areas, raising concerns that the wildfires will spread further.

In an interview with local media outlet Cadena SER on Wednesday, Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said he had requested two Canadair water bomber aircraft to help.

“At the moment we don’t need the two Canadair planes urgently but given the weather forecast, we want to have those planes in our national territory as soon as possible so they can be used, should they be necessary,” he said.

Read more