Spark from combine harvester is main theory for first major wildfire of summer in Spain

The first major wild fire of the summer in Spain has claimed the lives of two people in Lleida, Catalonia. The two deceased, 50 and 30, were trapped within the fire's perimeter.

According to Guissona mayor Jaume Ars, a farm owner went to the aid of a worker who had been trapped by the flames. They tried to flee in a vehicle, but became trapped and continued on foot. The pair tried to shelter under some rocks, but it wasn't enough to save them.

The fire that has affected the areas of La Noguera, Segarra and Urgell in Lleida has devoured 6,500 hectares in record time. According to the investigation by the rural officers of the Catalan regional government (Generalitat), the first hypothesis suggests that a spark from a combine harvester may have caused the fire. The farmer himself raised the alarm around 2pm. The smoke cloud reached a height of 14 kilometres and the fire spread at a speed of around 30km/h, close to the European record.

Generalitat firefighters have said that the fire has now been contained.

President of the Generalitat Salvador Illa has suspended his entire agenda to attend the scene of the incident. He urged the public to be cautious. "Fires are not like they used to be," he said. This fire has been classified as a sixth generation fire, due to its destructive capacity and virulence.

"Today is a day of great risk," warned Illa. He reported that two firefighters were slightly injured in the extinguishing work. Some 20,000 people had to be confined in some areas of Lleida yesterday due to the effects of the smoke.