Spain spread 500 other soldiers to handle forest fires – as part of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route closed | World News

Spain has mobilized 500 other soldiers to fight forest fires that have spread throughout the country in hot conditions – with a total of 1,900.

The fire has burned 158,000 hectares this year – an area of the size of London’s metropolitan – and three people have been killed in the past week.

Up to 20 main forest fires caught fire, including some in SpanishNorthwestern region in Galicia. Some have met to form large flames, forcing road closure and train services.

Part of the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route closed on Monday when the fire spread to the southern slopes of the Picos de Europa Mountains.

The authorities close the road between Astorga cities and ponferrada, separate about 30 miles (50 km), and tell pedestrians “not to place (them) in danger”.

Four firefighters have been killed so far, including one on Sunday whose trucks are overturned and fall on the hillside near the village of Espinoso de Compleudo, in the Leon region, according to El Mundo.

“This is a fire situation that we have never experienced in 20 years,” Defense Minister Margarita Robles told Cadena SER radio station.

Two aircraft that flooded water from the Netherlands were expected to join aircraft from France and Italy that had helped the Spanish authorities.

Firefighters from other countries will also arrive in the coming days, the Head of the Virginia Barcones Civil Protection Agency told the RTVE public announcer.

The agency was posted on X on Sunday night to say two more people were arrested for being suspected of starting a fire.

Some dozen people have been arrested for alleged burning since June, according to the Ministry of the Interior.

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Southern Europe experienced one of its worst fire seasons in years with Spain among the most devastated countries.

While this region lives through forest fires, drought and heat waves long before humans begin to change the climate by burning fossil fuels, hotter global temperatures can add some conditions for this type of extreme weather, according to climate scientists.

Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Albania have also requested assistance from EU firefighters in the last few days.

Thousands of firefighters also fought against eight big fires in the middle and north Portugalthe largest near the Piodeo mountainous area.

Smoke from forest fires in Spanish and Portugal are also new to the condition of escaping to England.

Portugal is set for cooler weather in the coming days, but the temperature is expected to reach up to 45C (113F) in several regions of Spain on Sunday.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said there were still “a few challenging days in front and, unfortunately, the weather was not on our side”.

Alfonso Rueda, Head of the Galicia Regional Government, said that the locking already existed and the evacuation was being carried out, with a house “still under threat”.