A heatwave is continuing to affect the Iberian Peninsula. Thousands of firefighters have been deployed to battle ongoing blazes and towns have been evacuated. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited affected regions to meet with the heads of emergency teams.

A view from a plane cockpit shows smoke and flames rising from a forest fire in Spain wildfire. Video credit: 43 Grupo del Ejercito del Aire.

Fire crews in Greece, Spain, and Portugal are racing to contain wildfires. Calmer winds on Thursday have helped slow the blazes.

Spain is grappling with historic wildfires across more than 51 locations nationwide, forcing more than 4,000 residents to spend the night outdoors. Local authorities cited by news agency EFE said wildfires are ongoing in at least 25 areas in Castile and Leon, 14 in Galicia, 12 in Asturias and several others in the southern region of Extremadura.

A second volunteer firefighter has died after battling a wildfire in the northern Spanish province of Leon, while police arrested a man for allegedly starting a separate blaze as the country faced one of its worst summers for fires in 20 years.

Spain on Friday warned of "very high or extreme fire danger in most of the country," as firefighters there continue battling 14 blazes in temperatures up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

Drone footage shows the aftermath of wildfires that swept through Spain's Galicia region:: Verin, Spain:: The country was battling 14 major blazes driven by high winds and aggravated by heat:: The flames have consumed around 388,

The European Union has sent two firefighting planes to Spain to help battle raging wildfires, after the country activated the bloc's disaster assistance mechanism for the first time. The assistance comes as the country recorded a third wildfire-related death on Thursday morning.

As Spain enters its third week of heatwave alerts, firefighters continue to battle blazes in the northwest and west of the country, with army units deployed to help contain the blazes.

The European Union has sent two planes to assist Spain in taking care of wildfires, after Spain activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism for the first time ever for forest fires.

A wildfire threatened the 17th century Atalaia fort in Verin, Spain, on Saturday. Built as defence against neighbouring Portugal during the War of Restoration, the fort did not burn despite the flames scorching the vegetation nearby.