08.45: The north east wind is still blowing and Galicia is still burning. The number of people arrested has now risen to 27. One of these is a Venezuelan accused of starting a huge blaze around the village of Avión, up in the mountains east of Pontevedra [See Otras galerías in today’s Voz de Galicia]. This is a village of large, if style-less, mansions infamously financed by the proceeds of prostitution in one of the South American countries. Possibly Venezuela.

The Xunta of Galicia has now found someone else to blame – the company which owns the A9 motorway running along the coast from Portugal up to to La Coruña. It stands accused of failing to clear the undergrowth on either side of the road and thus facilitating the rapid spread of the flames, up to and across the tarmac. Electricity and railway companies also appear to be in their sights. But not negligent farmers so far.

It’s a sobering thought that, while 4 people have died as a result of the fires, more than 10 times this number of Africans starved to death last week, trying to get to the Canary islands in open canoes. But I’d guess they haven’t been mentioned on your News broadcasts.