More than 25 firefighting planes have been deployed to battle a fast-spreading wildfire in central Spain that has been raging for three days, authorities said Sunday.
The blaze, which started Thursday in the Guadalajara province north of Madrid, has burned through over 13,000 hectares (32,000 acres) of forest and scrubland, according to newspaper El Pais. The fire has advanced 14 kilometers (9 miles) overnight, public broadcaster RTVE reported.
The area, part of the Sierra Norte Natural Park, is a mountainous forested region home to endangered species including eagles and wolves. More than 500 firefighters and emergency personnel are battling the flames, supported by 25 aircraft.
The head of the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, Emiliano Garcia-Page, paid tribute to emergency workers on X, saying they had "managed to save many lives." Several hundred residents were ordered to evacuate, but no casualties have been reported so far.
Police arrested a man on Thursday on suspicion of starting the fire, acting on a tip from neighbors. Spain remains on high alert for summer wildfires as a severe drought and low humidity affect much of the country at the height of the tourism season.
The fire comes just weeks after a deadly blaze in the southern Almeria province killed 13 people, including several foreign nationals, and destroyed 7,000 hectares. That incident shocked the nation as victims were found in burnt-out vehicles, having failed to escape.
Another wildfire in the northeastern Zaragoza province has been burning since Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of over 1,000 residents. While the regional government warned Friday the fire was "far from under control," Aragon regional head Jorge Azcon said Saturday was "the first day we can breathe a sigh of relief" as the fire was mostly contained.
Since the start of the year, wildfires have destroyed more than 80,000 hectares across Spain — nearly double the area burned in the same period last year, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). Scientists say human-caused climate change is making heatwaves longer, hotter, and more frequent, drying out landscapes and fueling more destructive wildfires.
Source: www.dw.com