Costa del Sol wildfire in Spain still out of control

The wildfire in the Costa del Sol region in southern Spain is still out of control on Saturday. The fire, which has claimed one life, is being fought by over 800 firefighters, including 400 military personnel, and over 20 aircraft. As well as capturing headlines all over the world, it highlights how Spain has suffered the flames this year. According to figures from the Environment Ministry, by Aug. 5, 132,229 hectares of land had been burned, over twice the average for a normal year. August saw several major fires, including a big one west of Madrid and the current blaze in the Costa del Sol region. The recent fires mean that the amount of terrain damaged by flames is probably three times that of a normal year. High temperatures, drought and the accumulation of undergrowth are said to be the main causes of the mounting destruction. Spain received 35 percent less rainfall than usual between October 2011 and June of this year, while July saw only half of the usual amount of rain in the country. This has been combined with high temperatures which have remained close to or above 30 degrees Celsius. Some point to spending cuts as having affected the country's ability to combat the flames. But the Environment Ministry said its budget for fire-fighting has risen from 71.77 million euros (90.29 million U.S. dollars) to 74.32 million this year. However, unions and ecologist groups disagree. "Working days have been increased, which means there is lower speed in changing shifts and works to put out fires," Francisco Javier Caberos, the environment secretary of the union Comisiones Obreras, was quoted by Spanish television network RTVE as saying. Most accidental fires in Spain were begun by farm machinery, illegal barbecues or discarded cigarettes. Only 5 percent of the flames broke out for natural reasons. (1 euro = 1.26 U.S. dollars)