Spain suffers third wildfire death, high speed rail services suspended, and more news from Spain on Friday August 15th.
Spain suffers third wildfire death
Spain on Thursday mourned its third wildfire death this week as an unrelenting heatwave stoked tinderbox conditions in southern Europe.
The extreme summer heat, which scientists say human-driven climate change is lengthening and intensifying, has fuelled blazes and stretched firefighters across the region, including Greece, Portugal and the Balkans.
The fires have particularly scorched Spain, devouring over 157,000 hectares (388,000 acres) this year — more than triple the area burned during the same period in 2024.
Spanish authorities said one person battling flames in the northwestern Castile and Leon region had died, taking the toll to three after earlier reporting fatalities there and near Madrid this week.
READ ALSO: IN PICTURES – Wildfires cause devastation across Spain
Renfe suspends high-speed rail between Galicia and Madrid due to fires
High-speed train services between Madrid and Galicia have been suspended “until further notice”, state rail service Renfe has announced.
“The service will remain suspended due to the ongoing forest fires that are burning much of the territory of Castile and León and Galicia,” the company said.
Renfe justified the decision “due to the high risk to passengers” and stated that services would not resume “until the relevant authorities allow it” in order to also guarantee “the safety of the emergency services working to extinguish the fires.”
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Fake doctor wanted in Colombia arrested in Spain
Spanish police said Thursday they have arrested a woman accused of posing as a doctor in Colombia and of treating hundreds of patients without a licence.
Officers detained the woman in the town of Catarroja, in the eastern region of Valencia, during a joint operation with Colombian authorities, Spain’s National Police said on X.
“She posed as a doctor in Colombia, where she treated 665 patients. Colombian authorities were searching for her for impersonation, fraud, and document forgery,” the police said.
Spanish media reported she had worked at several health facilities in Colombia for three years before fleeing to Spain, where she lived with her partner and child.
Only 15% of young Spaniards able to move out and achieve independence, research shows
The rate at which young Spaniards leave home and become independent has fallen to just 15.2 percent, the lowest figure since 2006.
This year there are 102,203 fewer young people living away from their family homes than in 2023, according to a report from the Spanish Youth Council.
Data from the report shows that in order to become independent, a young person would have to spend more than 90 percent of their salary on rent and save 14 years’ worth of their full salary to buy a home.
With additional reporting from AFP.
