Spain is facing yet another raging wildfire as local authorities said on Sunday that a blaze north of Madrid had burned more than 13,000 hectares and forced hundreds of people to evacuate. Earlier this month one of the country's deadliest ever wildfires broke out in the south and firefighters are yet to contain another blaze that started in the northeast on Wednesday.
Firefighters were battling a wildfire north of Madrid on Sunday that has burned around 13,000 hectares (32,000 acres) of land and forced some 700 residents to evacuate, authorities said.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez 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.
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.
Read moreNine foreign nationals, including French woman, among 13 victims of Spain's deadly wildfire
Spain is on the front line of climate change and has experienced increasingly long and frequent heatwaves in recent years, with temperatures well above 40C, 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.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
