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Firefighters have been tackling a series of wildfires ravaging the Spanish countryside, threatening dozens of communities and forcing more than tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes for the past week.
Three fires in the Madrid region have caused particular concern, with a new heatwave expected to hit Spain from Wednesday, fuelling fears that firefighting efforts could be hindered.
“It’s a hell of a situation,” said Madrid regional leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso, as she visited affected areas on Monday alongside Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
Sánchez spoke on Tuesday of highly challenging hours and days ahead, but of light beginning to appear “at the end of the tunnel”.
Temperatures are expected to approach 40C in some regions in the coming days, with the heatwave forecast to last at least until Sunday.
Spain’s state meteorological agency Aemet has warned the “fire danger level will continue to rise to extreme levels, hindering firefighting efforts”.
Regional authorities began lifting some evacuation and lockdown orders on Tuesday as conditions improved – including in parts of the Madrid region – but restrictions remain in place in the worst-affected areas.
In the Madrid region alone, more than 56,500 people have been evacuated since the fires broke out last week. A further 27,797 people have been ordered to stay at home.
Further evacuations have taken place in Ávila, Toledo and Valencia.
Ayuso had earlier described the wildfires as “the biggest natural catastrophe in the history of Spain”.
BBC
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