Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 2, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
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Two people died in a Catalonia wildfire amidst a severe heatwave in Europe. The fire was contained, but more storms are expected, prompting alerts.
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)
The wildfire in Catalonia was exacerbated by strong winds and storms, which created a convection cloud that complicated firefighting efforts.
Around 14,000 residents were asked to remain indoors for several hours due to the wildfire's proximity and the hazardous conditions.
Authorities warned of more storms expected on Wednesday and urged residents to exercise caution and follow instructions from emergency services.
Europe is experiencing an 'exceptional' heatwave, with Spain's meteorological agency issuing warnings for high temperatures, storms, and high winds.
The wildfire affected an area stretching approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) and destroyed several farms in the region.
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