A fast-moving wildfire 100km north of Madrid has scorched more than 12,000 hectares, prompting the evacuation of several hundred people, local authorities said.
The blaze erupted on Thursday in Guadalajara province, home to the Sierra Norte Natural Park. No casualties have been reported, but regional president Emiliano Garcia-Page and local officials described the fire on X as “difficult”.
Flames have swept through a forested, mountainous landscape that provides habitat for endangered wildlife, including eagles, wolves and butterflies.
The emergency follows another major fire that began on Wednesday near Zaragoza in northeastern Spain. That blaze has consumed almost 16,000 hectares and remains “far from under control”, the regional government of Aragon said in its latest update on Saturday evening.
Watch: Firefighters battle wildfire in central Spain
Earlier this month, Spain suffered one of the deadliest wildfires in its recent history when flames tore through the southern province of Almeria, killing 13 people and destroying 7,000 hectares.
Spain stands on the front line of climate change, enduring longer and more frequent heatwaves in recent years. Temperatures far above 40C have left landscapes tinder-dry and vulnerable to devastating fires.
Scientists say human-driven climate change is making heatwaves longer, more intense and more frequent, drying vegetation and increasing the risk that wildfires will ignite and spread.
