Spain’s biggest wildfire this year has burned about 16,000 hectares of land and is still burning, but authorities hope to have it under control by Sunday. More than 1,100 people have been evacuated as firefighters continue their efforts to bring the blaze under control, according to Spanish public broadcaster RTVE.Officials said the fire that broke out in the Cinco Villa area on Wednesday remained “very active” and had spread “significantly” overnight into Friday. It has forced the evacuation of five municipalities in Zaragoza and one municipality in neighboring Navarre, spanning a radius of about 60 kilometers. It is now believed to be facing the “final stages” of the firefighting effort, although officials remain cautious due to highly variable winds. Many roads are still closed.About 400 ground personnel and 19 aircraft were deployed to battle the blaze on Thursday, with firefighters focusing overnight on protecting homes in Uncastillo. Electricity has been restored in all affected towns.“The problem with this extinction and the problem with all the extinctions that have happened in the last few days is that there is a very variable wind that keeps changing,” said Luis Biendicho, Minister of Environment and Tourism. “The forecast is exactly what we said yesterday afternoon and the same for tomorrow, which makes us even more cautious.”
Multiple wildfires across Spain
The Aragon fire is one of many wildfires burning across Spain during a period of extreme heat and dry weather.Wildfires in the northern province of Guadalajara remain active after burning about 900 hectares, prompting evacuations and lockdown measures. The regional government requested the deployment of Spain’s military emergency unit, which sent approximately 100 personnel to assist in firefighting operations.A third wildfire near Lozoyuela, north of Madrid, has not been fully contained and has burned about 70 hectares of land. Authorities arrested a man suspected of starting fires in the Madrid-area.
what causes fire
High temperatures, strong winds, low humidity and abundant vegetation after rainfall have contributed to the fire’s spread. Experts also cite climate change and abandonment of rural areas as factors increasing wildfire risk.Persistent heatwaves in the early summer, which many scientists blame on human-induced climate change, have pushed temperatures across Europe to unprecedented levels, causing water shortages, crop damage, wildfires and thousands more deaths than usual.