Firefighters in Spain are continuing to tackle destructive wildfires that have threatened numerous communities and forced large numbers of residents from their homes, BBC News reported.
Three blazes in the Madrid region have caused particular concern, with a new heatwave expected from Wednesday. Temperatures are forecast to approach 40C in some areas and Spain’s state meteorological agency Aemet has warned that fire danger could rise to extreme levels, making firefighting more difficult.
Madrid regional leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso described the situation as “a hell of a situation” during a visit to affected areas with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Mr Sánchez said on Tuesday that Spain faced highly difficult hours and days ahead, while also saying there were signs of improvement.
Authorities began easing some evacuation and lockdown measures on Tuesday as conditions improved in certain areas, including parts of the Madrid region. However, restrictions remain in the worst-hit locations. In Madrid alone, more than 56,500 people have been evacuated since the fires began last week, while 27,797 others have been told to remain indoors. Further evacuations have taken place in Ávila, Toledo and Valencia.
Ms Ayuso earlier described the fires as the biggest natural catastrophe in Spain’s history, and later said on X that the situation was improving gradually. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told La 1 TV that overnight firefighting efforts had brought “relatively positive progress”, but added that weather conditions were not helping.
Mr Sánchez announced that areas affected by the fires had been declared disaster zones. He also linked the crisis to the climate emergency and called for unity among regional governments in fire prevention, response and reconstruction.
According to the minister for ecological transition, Sara Aagesen, around 77,000 hectares have been affected by fires in Spain. She said the wildfire in the Ávila area was the largest in the country’s recent history. In Ávila, where more than 50,000 hectares have burned, officials reported a more favourable overnight development, although small flare-ups were still being monitored.
In Valencia, a lockdown order was lifted for Vall D’Uixo after a fire that began on 25 July had forced about 16,000 people from 20 municipalities to evacuate. Local fire official David Vicente said on Tuesday afternoon that the fire remained very active.
In neighbouring Portugal, firefighters are also dealing with a major blaze in the eastern Guarda area. The Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere has placed large parts of the country under a very high red fire alert, with some areas under the highest warning level.