16 October 2017•Update: 16 October 2017
By Alyssa McMurtry
MADRID
At least three people died late Sunday night and Monday morning in wildfires which continue to rage in the northern Spanish region of Galicia, which the local government says were started deliberately.
“Galicia isn’t burning, it’s being burnt by arsonist terrorists who knew that the meteorological conditions would be very adverse,” Alberto Nunez Feijoo, president of Galicia, told radio station OndaCero on Monday.
The fires in the lush, forested region of Galicia coincide with extremely high temperatures, dry conditions and are being fanned by strong winds coming from the tail of Storm Ophelia which is sweeping across the eastern Atlantic.
The fires have been burning since Saturday night and Feijoo said that early Monday morning alone at least 24 new blazes had been lit. The regional leader also said although many fires had been brought under control, at least 15 population centers were still at risk and “we are continuing to have quite a few problems”.
Fires are also raging in Portugal, which borders Galicia, where media reports state six people have been killed.
The Spanish Asturias province, which borders Galicia to the east, also awoke Monday morning to 35 forest fires, according to local firefighters.
Spanish police are actively looking for the arsonists and said on Twitter that those responsible could face up to 20 years in prison.
