A wildfire in southern Europe has tragically claimed the lives of 26 horses in their stables, as well as a 55-year-old man who perished while attempting to rescue them.
The man suffered burns to 98 per cent of his body in the fire in Soto de Viñuelas, north of Madrid, and died in hospital after being flown there by helicopter, News.Az reports citing the Guardian.
A Spanish volunteer firefighter also died from severe burns, and several others were hospitalised, as the state weather agency AEMET warned that almost the entire country faced an extreme or very high risk of fire.
The 35-year-old deceased was attempting to create firebreaks near Nogarejas, in the central Castile and Leon region, when he became trapped in the inferno, according to regional officials.
He was the sixth person to die this year in wildfires in Spain. Others include two firefighters in Tarragona and Avila, according to emergency services.
The blazes have consumed homes, farms, and factories, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists across southern Europe.
They are fuelled by a relentless heatwave, strong winds, and a combination of suspected arson and thunderstorms.
In Greece, a cement factory on the outskirts of Patras, west of Athens, was engulfed in flames and dark smoke, as a wildfire swept through olive groves and forests, disrupting local rail traffic.
