Forest fires kill couple in Spain
From CNN Madrid Bureau Al Goodman
MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- Forest fires in Spain have trapped and killed a couple and forced the evacuation of 400 people, officials say.
And in neighboring Portugal, eight wildfires scorched the countryside but with less intensity than the devastating blazes of last summer, firefighters told CNN on Wednesday.
The married couple in their 60s died Tuesday when their car was engulfed by a fire in Spain's southern Huelva province, said Paco Huelva, emergency services director in Huelva Province.
The Civil Guard was investigating to determine if arson was responsible for that deadly blaze or if it was started when a fire to burn garbage got out of control, a Civil Guard spokesman told CNN.
A total of 420 people were evacuated from their homes in the Huelva villages of Las Delgadas, Montesorromero and Berrocal and 25 were treated for smoke inhalation, Huelva said.
More than 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) burned and 400 firefighters, backed by a dozen aircraft, were battling the multiple-front blaze, which had spread into neighboring Seville province on Wednesday.
But Huelva said the fire was expected to come under control later in the day.
In Portugal, eight major fires burned, mainly in an area around Loule and Almodovar, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) south of Lisbon.
Sixteen other fires were also burning but were considered under control, said Patricia Gaspar, of the National Fire Coordination Center in Lisbon.
The only injuries in Portugal have been some firefighters suffering from smoke inhalation or slight burns to their hands and legs.
One small village has been evacuated and more than 25 people in Portugal have been arrested on suspicion of arson, she added.
About 7,000 people, including 1,200 firefighters, along with soldiers and volunteers, were battling the blazes in Portugal.
Greece sent two firefighting planes, Italy sent one and Spain has been providing planes which cross the border for brief periods of time to help, Gaspar said.
Fires in Portugal last year burned 400,000 hectares (988,000 acres) and killed 18 people.
There was no immediate estimate on the current number of hectares burned, but Gaspar said Portugal is better prepared this year to fight the fires because of improved coordination among various agencies involved.
"We did a lot of restructuring in terms of prevention and firefighting organizations," Gaspar said. "In 2003, three services had merged shortly before the fires began. This year, we had time to better prepare the district coordination services."
Temperatures have been upwards of 40 degrees Celsius, with strong winds and low humidity -- a combination that favors a quick advance of wildfires -- but Gaspar said the forecast starting Thursday was for somewhat lower temperatures and higher humidity.
