The European Union is sending two planes to help Spain tackle raging wildfires, after the country activated an EU disaster assistance mechanism for the first time.

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told local media he had requested two water bomber aircraft from the EU to be deployed to the worst-affected areas.

The help comes as a third person died due to injuries sustained battling a wildfire on Thursday morning.

Spain’s state weather agency Aemet has warned that a heatwave will continue until Monday, with temperatures set to exceed 44C in some areas, raising concerns that the wildfires will spread further.

In an interview with Cadena SER on Wednesday, Grande-Marlaska said he had requested two Canadair water bomber aircraft.

“At the moment we don’t need the two Canadair planes urgently but given the weather forecast, we want to have those planes in our national territory as soon as possible so they can be used, should they be necessary,” he said.

“At this time, the government does not rule out requesting more firefighters.”

Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in Spain, with a further 700 moved out of the western city of Caceres on Wednesday, according to the country’s civil guard.

A volunteer firefighter died in hospital in the north-western region of León on Thursday, after suffering severe burns.

He became the second volunteer to die as a result of a fire in the region and the third person to die in total. Another man died near the capital, Madrid, on Tuesday.

“We are struck once again by the death of a second volunteer who has lost their life in León. All our love and support go out to their family and friends during this unbearable time,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Thursday.

“All government resources are working to address the difficult situation our country is facing. The threat remains extreme.”

Spain is among several European countries experiencing scorching temperatures and battling wildfires that have asked the EU for help.

Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Albania have also activated the EU’s civil protection mechanism, which allows any country hit by a disaster – both in Europe and beyond – to request emergency assistance.

European countries were sending aircraft to those that had requested help, in addition to pre-positioned firefighters already providing assistance in Greece.

There, wildfires have been burning for a third consecutive day, with the most dangerous fronts on the island of Chios and in the Achaia region of the Peloponnese.

So far, 95 people – including firefighters – have been injured. Satellite data from the EU’s Copernicus Emergency Management Service shows that more than 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) have burned across the country since Tuesday morning.

Authorities have issued a red alert for Thursday, warning of very high fire risk in Attica, eastern Central Greece, Evia, the north-eastern Peloponnese, and Thrace.

In Chios, the fire’s front has stretched for dozens of kilometres, and with limited resources available, many residents have had to be evacuated by sea using coastguard and private vessels.

Fires have also raged in Albania and Turkey, with several firefighters injured while tackling the blazes.

EU data shows that roughly 439,000 hectares of land have burnt since the beginning of the year due to wildfires, compared to 187,643 hectares (464,000 acres) last year.

A total of 1,628 fires have been detected since the start of the year.

—BBC