As Spain grieves, recurrent heatwaves stir fears of more wildfires
GCC News
After more than a dozen people died in recent forest fires, residents and experts try to prevent further tragedies.
Madrid, Spain – Sally Chapman was watching the Wimbledon tennis championship on television when she noticed a “commotion” outside their home in Bedar, a tiny village in southern Spain, so her husband went outside to investigate.
So began what she remembers as the worst night of her life.
Regional Impact
list of 3 items- list 1 of 3Two killed as Greek firefighting helicopters collide in midair
– list 2 of 3Dangerous summers: How heatwaves and wildfires change life across Europe
– list 3 of 3Photos: Wildfires devastate France and Spain as climate change fuels heat
Market & Policy
It was July 9 and the forest fire that raged in Bedar and Los Gallardos, in Almeria, ultimately killed 14 people and saw more than 1,500 people evacuated.
“There were five British people, friends of mine and others in the village, who died in the fire that night. Another close female friend is still fighting for her life in hospital,” she said. “It was probably the most terrifying thing that has ever happened. As we left [as evacuees], there were plumes of white smoke. I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, our house is going to burn.’”
On the night of the fire, when they reached the nearby village of Lubrin, they received an “amazing response” and were offered a bed in a woman’s house.
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