SPANIARDS FIGHTING ON MULTIPLE FRONTS, THREAT FROM LEFTOVER WEAPONS IN THE EAST

MADRID, JULY 27 /SRNA/ - Spanish authorities are battling fires on multiple fronts, including one near Madrid and another major blaze in the east of the country, which could pose a danger to firefighters due to leftover weapons and ammunition.

Authorities have described the fires around Madrid as "the worst in history." The head of the regional government's firefighting service in Valencia, Chevi Bolumar, told TVE that there is a significant amount of old ammunition from the Spanish Civil War near Vall d'Uixó, in the eastern province of Castellón, which could explode. Eastern Spain was a stronghold of the legitimate Spanish Republican government, which fought and lost power to nationalist rebels supported by the fascist governments of Germany and Italy during the conflict in the late 1930s. According to the latest available data, Spanish authorities discovered and destroyed 36 explosive devices from that period in Castellón province in 2024, including artillery shells, mortar rounds and hand grenades. Meanwhile, more than 360,000 people have been evacuated in Spain and France due to wildfires. The situation is particularly dangerous near the French city of Bordeaux, where a massive fire has created its own storm, making firefighting efforts practically impossible. At the same time, a wildfire west of Bordeaux has ravaged 42,000 hectares of forest, an area larger than the British Isle of Wight, and destroyed 240 homes. The fire has weakened somewhat following light rain overnight, but it is still not under control. The number of wildfires and the extent of damage in EU countries so far are significantly above average, with 1,325 fires and 378,000 hectares of land burned. However, the damage this year is still below the record level recorded in 2025, when more than one million hectares of land were burned in EU countries, Sky News recalls. Between July 15 and 22, more than 180,000 hectares were burned in EU countries.