The Iberian Peninsula is still battling widespread wildfires on Monday as the total death toll rises to six, with four in Spain and two in Portugal.
Spain is battling more than 40 active wildfires, with two-thirds concentrated in the Castilla and Leon region, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
A high-speed line between Madrid and Galicia has been suspended for five consecutive days, while 16 roads are closed.
In an interview with broadcaster Cadena SER, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said that their Military Emergency Unit has never seen a fire situation like this in "its 20 years of existence."
The ongoing fires in Spain have already burnt more than 115,000 hectares (284,171 acres) of land and forced thousands of people to evacuate.
Spain’s meteorological agency Aemet has issued a red alert for certain regions, with temperatures expected to reach 44C (111F).
In Portugal, provisional official data showed that by Aug. 18, wildfires had scorched 185,753 hectares (459,100 acres), surpassing the total area burned in all of 2024, daily Diario de Noticias reported.
As some fronts of the ongoing wildfires across the country began to subside, the city of Covilha on Monday issued a new alert, warning that the fire remains out of control.
More than 80 municipalities are still at maximum risk of fire, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).
Due to heightened fire risk, the government has extended the alert, in place since Aug. 2, through Tuesday.
