Article author:
Associated Press
Madrid (AP) — With wildfires approaching in eastern Spain, a train driver stops and prepares to change direction to avoid the blaze as some passengers leave without waiting. He was injured when he fell, officials said.
On Tuesday night, the train's driver reversed course as it was traveling through the Valencia region as wildfires were progressing around the town of Vezis further east.
Several passengers disembarked from the train when it stopped in the countryside, officials said, including some who escaped by breaking windows. Spain's state news agency Efe reported that 10 people were injured.
On Wednesday, the Castellon provincial government tweeted a video of firefighters fleeing for their lives as towering flames from the Bezis fire roared in the background.
This wildfire is he one of two that are still out of control in Spain. South of the city of Valencia, more than 1,500 people have been forced to evacuate their towns and villages since the weekend after massive fires broke out around Val debo.
Wildfires have burned 275,000 hectares (679,000 acres) in Spain so far this year, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. This is more than four times the country's annual average of 67,000 hectares (165,000 acres) since records began in 2006.
In neighboring Portugal, officials said they hoped the wildfires that have burned for 12 days and scorched much of the pine forests of the Serra da Estrela Natural Park will be brought under control.
But officials warned that forecasts for new waves in the region could complicate the task. It reached about 400 kilometers (240 mi) east of the capital Madrid.
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