Hundreds of people have been evacuated in Catalonia due to wildfires that are still raging, while Spain’s forest firefighting brigade announce an indefinite strike, reports thelocal.es.
Over 800 people were evacuated from the villages of Ca l’Esteve, El Bosc Gran and Monserrat Parc in Ódena near Barcelona, after wildfires broke out over the weekend.
At least 1,000 hectares of vegetation have been destroyed by the fire, which broke out on Sunday afternoon. While the fire continues to rage, firefighters have stabilized the perimeter ensuring the flames did not expand further overnight, according to the Spanish Huffington Post.
The evacuated residents were spread out over neighbouring villages, where they souht refuge overnight in a basketball arena and a library, quickly set up to accommodate them.
To make matters worse, firefighters from Spain’s forest firefighting service (BRIF) began an indefinite strike on Monday in protest against working conditions and low pay. It is the first time such a strike has taken place while wildfires sweep vast areas of Spain, the association of forest firefighters, Atbrif,said in a statementon its website.
“Is it fair that we make such a ridiculously paltry amount while we put our lives at risk?” the firefighters’ association said.
The association is meeting with representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment in Madrid on Monday.
There are currently 127 fire engines and three aeroplanes working to put out the flames near Barcelona, according to a statement released early on Monday morning by Catalonia’s Fire Brigade.
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