Latest news

Over 100 firefighters on scene after explosion in England

A large explosion has occurred at an industrial plant in Essex, England, reports the BBC. Over 100 firefighters are trying to fight the fire that has broken out at the site.

Residents nearby describe that their houses shook from the impact, and are advised to stay indoors and keep windows and doors closed.

– I thought I was going to lose my windows. It was very, very scary, says 63-year-old Debbie Thaxter.

The emergency services believe they have surrounded the fire, but advise people not to be in the area.

Macron mobilizes the military for support during the fires

French President Emmanuel Macron is mobilizing the military to provide support to civil society in the southwest of the country, where several serious forest fires are raging. This is reported by Le Monde.

Over 140,000 people have so far been evacuated from the fires, according to AFP.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is holding an emergency meeting with the government this evening, starting at 10 p.m. Several ministers for defense, health, transport and the environment are participating.

Forest fires in Europe
Man arrested in connection with the Spanish fires

A man has been arrested on suspicion of starting the massive forest fire in the Madrid area, Spanish police said according to AFP.

Two people are believed to have caused the fire when they used an agricultural vehicle, despite a strict ban in the dry and hot region.

Five retirement homes evacuated in Spanish wildfire

Tens of thousands have been evacuated from their homes around Madrid as a result of the wildfires raging around the capital. Among those affected are 430 elderly people who were evacuated from five retirement homes in the area, AFP reports.

Spanish firefighters are currently battling three major fires at the same time, two of which have merged into a single blaze just a few miles north of Madrid. The fires are considered the worst in the region’s history.

José Cobos, who lives 50 miles from Madrid, is one of those who have been asked to leave his home.

“The smoke was incredibly thick. It was impossible to breathe,” he told Antena 3.

Javier Martin, in Naveluenga, saw one of the fires flare up from relatively small to uncontrollable.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he told Reuters. “I thought they would get the fire under control last night, but by then it was too late.”

“What started the fire was a seriously negligent act,” the Spanish Civil Guard wrote on X.