Hero escapes the fire after trying to protect his city.
A Spanish man who was trying to “protect his town” from a wildfire nearly died when the fire engulfed his excavator, forcing him to run for safety.
Angel Martin Arjona had dug a “trench” in a field to stop the fire that was approaching the northwestern town of Tabara, when the flames went towards him.
Meanwhile, several images have been published that show him running away at high speed.
A few seconds later his car disappeared from sight, and he was surrounded by strong flames and smoke.
Arjona got out of the flames, but then collapsed, then kept running, her pants still burning and a firefighter in protective gear chasing after her.
He, the owner of a construction warehouse, was airlifted to hospital with severe burns after his dramatic escape, said his friend, mechanic Juan Lozano.
“It could have burned everything, absolutely everything. It didn’t happen because there are good professionals and people who have the courage to protect us,” said Lozano.
Firefighters were battling blazes across southern Europe on Monday as a heatwave sent people seeking shade and fueled fears about climate change.