Hundreds of people have been forced to evacuate their homes as firefighters battle a wildfire north of Madrid that has burned about 32,000 acres of land.
More than 700 people were told to leave their homes as about 300 firefighters, supported by 26 water-dropping aircraft, worked to contain the blaze.
The fire broke out in a forest-covered mountainous area in Guadalajara province that includes the Sierra Norte Natural Park, home to endangered species including eagles, wolves and butterflies.
Pedro Sanchez, Spain’s prime minister, said in a post on X that his government was closely monitoring the wildfire and thanked firefighters “working tirelessly” to protect lives and bring the blaze under control.
Credit: Spain’s Guardia Civil
The fire has been described as “difficult” by Emiliano García-Page, the head of the regional government.
The wildfire comes after another blaze broke out on Wednesday near Zaragoza, in the northeastern region of Aragon, forcing around 1,000 people to evacuate their homes.
Firefighters, aided by improved weather conditions, had managed to curtail the fire’s spread, María del Mar Vaquero, Aragon’s deputy regional president, told Spanish public television.
“Emergency services will determine when the residents of the five evacuated villages can return home,” she said.
The fire has burned around 14,400 hectares, Ms Vaquero said, revising down an earlier estimate of about 16,000 hectares.
No casualties have been reported.
Earlier this month, Spain suffered one of its deadliest wildfires in recent history when a blaze in the southern province of Almeria killed 13 people and destroyed around 7,000 hectares.
Spain is set to enter its third heatwave of the summer on Tuesday, with temperatures forecast to climb above 40C across large parts of the country, the national weather office said.
Firefighters tackle flames in La Mierla area, near Guadalajara – AFP
Firefighters extinguish a blaze in Ores, Zaragoza – Javier Cebollada/EPA/Shutterstock
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, Spain’s meteorological agency, 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 45C.
“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.