Two die in Catalonia wildfire as heatwave grips Europe

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MADRID (Reuters) -Two people died in a wildfire in Spain’s Catalonia region a day ago, which was largely contained though more wind and thunder storms were expected on Wednesday, emergency services and officials said, as Europe grappled with a severe heatwave.

The blaze in Torrefeta broke out in a farming area on Tuesday afternoon, destroying several farms, and affecting an area stretching for around 40 kilometres (25 miles), firefighters said, adding there were no other casualties.

“The fire was extremely violent and erratic due to storms and strong winds, generating a convection cloud that complicated extinguishing efforts,” the fire service said in a statement.

Authorities warned that more storms were expected on Wednesday afternoon and urged vigilance.

“Please exercise caution and follow all instructions and recommendations from the emergency services,” Catalonia’s regional leader Salvador Illa said in a post on X.

Around 14,000 residents were asked to remain indoors for several hours on Tuesday.

The wildfire comes as Europe faces an “exceptional” heatvawe, prompting heat alerts through the region.

Spain’s meteorological agency AEMET, which earlier this week reported its hottest June on record, issued warnings for high temperatures, storms and high winds across much of the Iberian Peninsula on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Emma Pinedo, editing by Aislinn Laing and Bernadette Baum)