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19th Jul 2022

Apocalyptic scenes as train grinds to a halt in the middle of blazing wildfires

Jack Peat

“It suddenly became night,” one passenger said.

A train was forced to stop unexpectedly in the Spanish countryside as wildfires encroached on both sides of the track.

Passengers on board a service from Madrid to Ferrol in Galicia were given a fright when they looked out of the window to see flames engulfing the vegetation and smoke darkening the blue skies.

The apocalyptic scenes were filmed on Monday morning in the province of Zamora, where blazes have charred large areas of woodland over recent days.

According to the regional government, wildfires have burned 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) and forced authorities to evacuate 14 villages in the Tábara municipality.

Local newspaper El Correo de Zamora called it “the biggest disaster in the province so far this century.” Passengers travelling through the region on Monday spoke of their shock at seeing the scenes unfold.

Francisco Seoane, from Spain, told the Associated Press: “It was really scary to see how quickly the fire spread. Just in the blink of an eye, a new bush began burning. It was a matter of seconds.”

“It suddenly became night,” he added. “And we could even smell the smoke” inside the carriage. Video of the unscheduled stop shows about a dozen passengers in Seoane’s carriage becoming increasingly alarmed as they look out of the windows.

An ADIF (Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias) spokeswoman told AP that no passengers were in danger.

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