EU to send wildfire help to Spain as death toll rises

The European Union is sending two planes to help Spain tackle wildfires raging across the country, which have so far killed three people.

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 regions.

The help comes as a third person has been killed battling a wildfire in the north-west León region, and as Spain activated an EU disaster assistance mechanism for fires for the first time ever.

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.

"At this time, the government does not rule out requesting more firefighters," he added.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in Spain, with a further 700 people evacuated from the western city of Caceres on Wednesday, according to the country's civil guard.

Also on Wednesday, a civilian and a volunteer firefighter was killed in the city of León - raising the death toll in the current wildfires to three.

"We are struck once again by the death of a second volunteer who has lost their life in León. All our love and support go out to their family and friends during this unbearable time," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on social media on Thursday.

"All government resources are working to address the difficult situation our country is facing. The threat remains extreme," he added.

Spain is among several European countries experiencing scorching temperatures and battling wildfires that have asked the EU for help.

Along with Spain, Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Albania have also activated the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism because of fires. Any country hit by a disaster, in Europe and beyond, can request emergency assistance through the mechanism.

As of Thursday, European countries were sending air craft to those that asked for help, in addition to prepositioned firefighters already assisting in Greece.

In Greece, wildfires have been burning for a third consecutive day, with the most dangerous fronts on the island of Chios and in the Achaia region of the Peloponnese.

So far, 95 people - including firefighters - have been injured. Satellite data from the EU's Copernicus Emergency Management Service shows more than 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) have burned across the country since Tuesday morning.

Authorities have issued a red alert for Thursday, warning of very high fire risk in Attica, eastern Central Greece, Evia, the north-eastern Peloponnese, and Thrace.

In Chios, the fire's front has stretched for dozens of kilometres, and with limited resources available, many residents have had to be evacuated by sea using coastguard and private vessels.

Fires have also raged in Albania and Turkey, with several firefighters injured while tackling the blazes.

EU data shows that roughly 439,000 hectares of land have burnt since the beginning of the year due to wildfires, compared to 187,643 hectares (464,000 acres) last year.

A total of 1,628 fires have been detected since the start of the year.

Additional reporting by Nikos Papanikolaou in Greece