Nearly 30,000 hectares burned in Galicia in a week, the same extent as in the last two years

In Galicia the situation does not improve, and far from stabilising, it worsens day after day. There the fire, which is still raging, has already burned 30,000 hectares in a week, the same extent as in the last two years.

Galicia is still burning and there is no rest even at night. Fire brigades working over the area say it’s still out of control. The main sources of concern are those of O Courel, where combustion has reached the Campa da Lucenza, where the only glacial lagoon in these mountains is located, and Valdeorras. The latter approaches León dangerously. Both remain at level 2 alert because they are very close to the houses.

Around 1,400 people had to be evacuated since the fires began, although 90% of them have already been able to return to their homes. ” Yesterday the fire was on top of my house, and it might have burned,” says a neighbor. The inhabitants watch with resignation as the fire advances by leaps and bounds, as they try to do everything possible to save their homes. ” We had to plant bombs from the river and water the streets,” they explain.

The president of the Government, who is visiting the fire zone these days, has blamed climate change for the current situation in Spain: “Climate change kills. It kills people, it kills our ecosystem, our biodiversity and destroys the most precious assets of the whole society that is affected by these fires, their homes, their businesses or their livestock. These climate scenarios of soil temperature were planned for 2050 and we are in 2022,” said Pedro Sánchez.

The truth is that so far this year, forest fires have burned around 70,000 hectares. This is twice the average for the last decade. The balance sheet of the Executive also speaks of human damage because during the fires two people have died, a brigadista who was trapped in the flames and a shepherd who tried to save his sheep.