10 injured while leaving stopped train near wildfire

August 17, 2022
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 An approaching wildfire in eastern Spain caused a train driver to stop and prepare to change directions to avoid the flames, and several passengers were injured when they got off rather than wait, authorities said.

The train was traveling in the Valencia region on Tuesday night when the driver decided to reverse course because of the wildfire advancing from around the town of Bejís, further east.

Some passengers got off the train when it stopped in the countryside, including ones who broke windows to escape, officials said. Ten people were injured, Spanish state news agency Efe reported.

The government of Castellón province on Wednesday tweeted a video of firefighters running for their lives as towering flames from the Bejís fire roared behind them.

The wildfire is one of two still raging out of control in eastern Spain. South of Valencia city, a bigger fire around the Val d’Ebo area has forced more than 1,500 people to evacuate towns and villages since the weekend.

Valencia regional President Ximo Puig said Wednesday that the Bejís fire had a perimeter of some 50 kilometers (30 miles) and had burned some 4,000 hectares (10,00 acres). He said the Val d’Ebo blaze had a perimeter of 80 kilometers (50 miles) and had scorched some 11,500 hectares (28,000 acres).