Ten passengers were injured, three of them seriously, when they tried to escape from a train caught in a forest fire in eastern Spain. Because of the strong winds, the fire near Bejes, northwest of Valencia, became so great that many firefighters had to flee.
The driver asked the passengers to stay on the train, but some panicked. She was ready to reverse the train, but as the flames approached, passengers smashed windows and got off. Some refugees sustained burns and one person was taken to a hospital in Valencia. Spanish reports say a 58-year-old woman and a 15-year-old girl suffered the most severe burns. No one was injured on the train.
The train returned to the nearby Caudiel station. Passengers fleeing the railroad returned to the train, where the injured were treated.
More than two thousand people were evacuated from Baijis and nearby settlements. The Castellón Fire Department shared a video of firefighters escaping from the several meters high flames. According to firefighters, the fire could have destroyed an area of up to six thousand hectares.
Nearly 400 forest fires destroyed Spain in 2022, and according to European Union estimates, 275,000 hectares burned. This year, wildfires are three times more common than normal in Europe due to the heat and drought. (BBC)
