Spain has deployed a further 500 soldiers from the military emergency unit to support firefighting operations as it battles 20 major wildfires across the country during a heatwave that began last week.“There are still some challenging days ahead, and unfortunately, the weather is not on our side,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said at a news conference on Sunday in Ourense, one of the most affected areas, in northwestern Spain.He announced an increase in military reinforcements, bringing the total number of soldiers deployed across Spain to 1,900.Firefighters are tackling 12 major wildfires in the northwestern region of Galicia alone, all of them near the city of Ourense, the head of the Galician regional government Alfonso Rueda also said during the news conference.“Homes are still under threat, so we have lockdowns in place and are carrying out evacuations,” Rueda said.The announcements came as authorities awaited the arrival of promised aircraft reinforcements from other European countries.National rail operator Renfe said it suspended Madrid-Galicia high-speed train services scheduled for Sunday due to the fires.Galician authorities advised people to wear face masks and limit their time spent outdoors to avoid inhaling smoke and ash.Southern Europe is experiencing one of its worst wildfire seasons in two decades with Spain among the hardest-hit countries.In the p …
