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Fires and Deadly Heatwaves

A formerly-floating playground in the La Viñuela reservoir.
A formerly-floating playground in the La Viñuela reservoir. Photo: Carlos Gil (Getty Images)

July was Spain’s hottest month in more than 60 years. Wildfires also charged through several provinces this summer, burning more than 476,000 acres in the first seven months of the year alone. That’s about double the size of Singapore and makes 2022 the worst wildfire year in the past decade, with months left to go. Officials say that more than 500 people died across the country in a heatwave that gripped Spain in July and saw temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).

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