Spain faces another day of battling wildfires across the country amid weather warnings

Spain faces another day of tackling multiple wildfires in several regions across the country, several of which remain out of control due to adverse weather conditions. Authorities are particularly concerned about those affecting the provinces of Ourense, Zamora, and León, in the northwest. However, there is also concern about active fires in Cáceres, Asturias, and Madrid. So far, the blazes have claimed two lives in Madrid and León: a 50-year-old man in Tres Cantos (Madrid) and a 35-year-old man who was volunteering to help extinguish the Molezuelas de la Carballeda fire (affecting the provinces of Zamora and León). Thousands of hectares have burned across the country, causing more than 5,000 people to spend Tuesday night evacuated from their homes.

In an interview with radio network Cadena SER, the Minister for Ecological Transition, Sara Aagesen, estimated that 14 forest fires remain active in seven regions. While awaiting clarification of the causes of the outbreaks, Aagesen estimates that several of them were started deliberately: “All are under investigation; it is still premature to quantify how many were intentionally caused, but there is a fair intuition about several of them, [about how] they may have been caused due to their virulence and how they have evolved,” she indicated.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned that the situation remains serious and thanked those working to combat the flames, calling for extreme caution: “The fire situation remains serious. Extreme caution is essential,“ he said on his X profile. ”Thank you, once again, to those who are working tirelessly to fight the flames,“ he added, sharing a post from the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) warning of the danger of fires in most of Spain ”despite the likelihood of showers in many areas.”

Military to join firefighting effort

One of the most complicated fires is the Chandrexa de Queixa fire in Ourense, which has burned more than 3,500 hectares since Friday and to which personnel from the Military Emergency Unit (UME) will be added Wednesday. The situation is also difficult in León, where 4,300 people from 23 towns have had to be evacuated due to the Molezuelas de la Carballeda fire, affecting the provinces of Zamora and León, in which a volunteer died Tuesday night. In Zamora, a fire is also raging in the locality of Puercas, where six people have been injured, two of whom have been admitted to the ICU, and more than 450 people have been evacuated. Four firefighters were injured in the fires affecting the province of Ourense.

The technical director for extinguishing the forest fire in Molezuelas de la Carballeda, Mar Lejarraga, has predicted a “very difficult” day in the efforts to control this fire as a result of unstable weather conditions. In statements collected by Europa Press, she pointed out that last night’s efforts focused on carrying out “direct attacks and technical firefighting” with the support of heavy machinery, given the “many active points” and the presence of “very virulent tongues of fire.”

In Castilla-La Mancha, a fire in Navalmoralejo is still raging, having spread to to the province of Cáceres. Another fire has broken out in Calera y Chozas, forcing the lockdown of 5,000 residents of Alberche del Caudillo and the closure of two roads. Authorities declared the Tarifa fire stabilized last night.

Up to 42 Spanish provinces have active weather warnings for Wednesday for temperatures that could reach 42 degrees Celsius, as well for precipitation and storms, according to Aemet. Specifically, Cáceres and Badajoz (Extremadura), Girona and Lleida (Catalonia), Huesca (Aragón), Cádiz, Córdoba, Huelva, Jaén and Seville (Andalusia), and Gran Canaria have an orange warning for high temperatures. However, maximum temperatures are expected to drop in the Iberian Peninsula and the Canary Islands, although they will exceed 35ºC in most of the southern half of the peninsula, in the northeast, and in parts of the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands. Minimum temperatures will drop in much of the Iberian Peninsula and the archipelagos, while they will rise slightly in the southwest of the mainland and on the northern coasts. Aemet forecasts northerly winds in the Canary Islands and easterly winds in the Strait of Gibraltar and the Alboran Sea, both moderate with likely strong periods. Northerly winds will also be moderate along the Atlantic coast of Galicia. Light winds are forecast for the rest of the Peninsula.

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