Spanish authorities struggles as wildfire scorches 12,000 hectares

MADRID: A wildfire raging 100 kilometres north of Madrid has spread, burning more than 12,000 hectares and forcing several hundred people to evacuate, local authorities announced on Sunday. The fire that started on Thursday in Guadalajara province, which includes the Sierra Norte Natural Park, has not caused any casualties so far but has been described as "difficult" by regional president Emiliano Garcia-Page and local authorities on X. It broke out in a forest-covered, mountainous region that is home to endangered species including eagles, wolves and butterflies. It comes hot on the heels of a blaze that started on Wednesday near Zaragoza, in the northeast, has burned nearly 16,000 hectares and is "far from under control", according to the latest update provided on Saturday evening by the regional government of Aragon. No casualties have been reported.

Earlier this month, Spain witnessed one of the deadliest wildfires in its recent history, when a blaze in the southern province of Almeria killed 13 people and destroyed 7,000 hectares. Spain is on the front line of climate change and has experienced increasingly long and frequent heatwaves in recent years, with temperatures well above 40°C, creating conditions conducive to devastating fires. Scientists say human-driven climate change is increasing the length, intensity and frequency of heatwaves, which dry out vegetation and contribute to the likelihood of wildfires.

Spain is set to enter its third heatwave of the summer on Tuesday, with temperatures forecast to climb above 40°C across large parts of the country, the national weather office said. The heatwave will be fuelled by a persistent area of high pressure that will trap hot, dry air from North Africa over Spain for several days, pushing temperatures to exceptionally high levels, AEMET said in a statement.

The heat is expected to intensify through Thursday, which forecasters say is likely to be the peak of the event, with some isolated areas potentially exceeding 45°C. "The level of danger will be significant during the central hours of the day, especially for outdoor activities and vulnerable people," the weather agency said.

Spain has already endured two other heatwaves this summer — one in late June that broke temperature records across Europe, and another in early July. Mainland Spain recorded its hottest first half of summer since records began in 1961, AEMET said on Tuesday, with average temperatures from June 1 to July 15 reaching 24.5°C — 3.3°C above the 1991-2020 reference period average of 21.2°C. A ferocious blaze in the southeastern province of Almeria earlier this month killed 13 people, making it Spain's deadliest wildfire in recent years.

Emergency services shared aerial images of the wildfire eating away at expanses of forests and fields. Fire engines were confronted with a tall wall of flames that had engulfed the vegetation. Regional leader Jorge Azcon said on X that King Felipe VI had called him to "enquire about the evolution of the fire" and "send encouragement to the entire firefighting team". In the central province of Guadalajara, a growing wildfire that began on Thursday forced authorities to evacuate 11 villages and deploy more than 350 firefighters. — AFP