Early wildfire in eastern Spain
A wildfire in Spain’s eastern Castellón region has burned over 1,000 hectares of land since it began on 23 March
The fire is believed to have started near Villanueva de Viver, at around 13:00 hrs local time – worsened by unseasonably dry weather conditions in the region. The fire marks an unusually early start to Spain’s wildfire season.
According to a report by Reuters, the fire has led to over 1,000 people being ‘forced to leave their homes’, including around 600 people who were evacuated from eight local towns – in response to which, emergency services have established a refuge and a field hospital.
Reuters also confirmed that 10 fixed-wing aircraft have been dispatched to tackle the blaze, while ABC also confirmed that four helicopters have also been deployed. Over 600 firefighters and soldiers are also on the ground.
Wildfires are a growing problem across parts of Europe. A report released in November 2022 by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre highlighted the extent of the issue.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at AirMed&Rescue. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.