Firefighters battling a major wildfire north-east of the Spanish capital on Tuesday reported their first significant breakthrough after five days of operations.
“We can now see light at the end of the tunnel,” said Emiliano García-Page, president of the Castilla-La Mancha regional government. The overnight efforts of more than 600 firefighters and emergency personnel had “virtually stopped” the fire’s spread toward the provincial capital of Soria, he said.
The wildfire, which has been burning since Thursday about 60 kilometres north-east of Madrid, spread rapidly and prompted widespread concern. Around 1,200 people were evacuated from more than 30 threatened communities.
Authorities estimate that the blaze has burned 29,000 hectares. Spanish media report that hundreds of firefighters have at times been supported by nearly 50 firefighting aircraft and helicopters.
High temperatures and strong winds have hampered firefighting efforts over recent days. On Tuesday, Spain entered its third heatwave of the summer, although the national weather service AEMET expects it to last only about three days.
Spain, Portugal, and several other European countries have been battling a series of major wildfires in recent weeks.
According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), wildfires have already destroyed more than 115,000 hectares of land in Spain since the beginning of the year.
Wildfire also breaks out in France
On Monday afternoon, firefighters responded to a blaze in a Roma settlement located in woodland on the outskirts of Nantes, western France.
According to the regional Ouest-France newspaper, the fire began when a car caught fire and quickly spread to the surrounding forest, as well as to caravans and vehicles belonging to residents living in the settlement.
Around 200 people were evacuated.