Spain to declare areas affected by wildfires as "catastrophe zones"

STORY: Spain to declare areas affected by wildfires as "catastrophe zones" DATELINE: Aug. 23, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:16 LOCATION: Madrid CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. various of Pedro Sanchez visiting areas affected by forest fire 2. various of wildfires around the municipality of Bejis 3. SOUNDBITE (Spanish): PEDRO SANCHEZ, Spanish Prime Minister 4. Pedro Sanchez shaking hands with members of the Military Emergencies Unit (UME) STORYLINE: Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday said that the areas affected by wildfires this year will be declared as "catastrophe zones" in the meeting of his cabinet on Tuesday. Sanchez made the declaration while visiting the region around the municipality of Bejis in eastern Spain, which has been badly affected by a forest fire over the past week. The fire has now been brought under control but has left around 20,000 hectares of woodland and scrub destroyed. According to the Spanish government, 223,000 hectares of land have been affected by wildfires this summer,

Raging wildfire evacuates 2,000 people in Spain

STORY: Raging wildfire evacuates 2,000 people in Spain DATELINE: Aug. 18, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:35 LOCATION: Madrid CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. various of the wildfire in the Vall d'Ebo, in the province of Alicante (courtesy: Firefighters of the provinces of Alicante and Castellon) 2. various of the forest fire in Bejis, in the province of Castello STORYLINE: A wildfire in the Alicante Province of Spain's Valencian Community continued to rage on Monday, after burning over 9,500 hectares of land and evacuating almost 2,000 people from their homes, civil protection agencies said. The fire in Vall d'Ebo has affected a radius of around 75 kilometers, where strong winds, high temperatures and complicated geographic conditions in the hilly terrains have dampened firefighters' efforts to put out the flames, the Valencian regional government said. It said 36 aircraft and helicopters, including some from the neighboring regions of Castille-La Mancha and Murcia, are currently fighting the flames, with ar