Wildfires rage in Europe’s France, Spain, Portugal; firefighting plane pilot killed

Europe wildfire: As wildfires rage in parts of Europe including Spain, Portugal and France, thousands of people are getting evacuated from their homes to be saved from blistering summer temperatures. A Portuguese firefighter plane pilot died in the northeast of the country Friday, due to the wildfires, reported news agency AP. The pilot died while on an operation near the town of Torre de Moncorvo.

In a message on his official Twitter account, Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa said, “It was with great dismay that I became aware of the death of the pilot who operated an aircraft that fell this afternoon.” He sent his condolences to the pilot´s family and friends and also expressed his solidarity and gratefulness to all taking part in the fight against the fires.

Portugal has been particularly hard hit by wildfires this week. More than 3,000 firefighters battled alongside ordinary Portuguese citizens desperate to save their homes from several wildfires that raged across the country, fanned by extreme temperatures and drought conditions. The country’s Civil Protection Agency said 10 fires were still raging Friday, with ones in the north causing the most concern.

In France, 1,000 firefighters and 10 water-dumping planes contended with high temperatures and strong winds to try to contain two wildfires in the Bordeaux region of southwestern France that have forced the evacuation of 11,300 people and ravaged pine forests near the Atlantic coast.

Spain, Croatia and Hungary have also fought wildfires this week. For a fifth day, firefighters in Spain were battling Friday to try to bring under control a fire started by a lightning strike in the west-central Las Hurdes area that has consumed about 5,500 hectares (13,600 acres).

Some 400 people from eight villages were evacuated late Thursday as the flames approached their houses and threatened to spread into the nearby Monfrague National Park.