Firefighters Contain Large Wildfire Near Madrid, Spain
Spanish firefighters have practically stopped the spread of a major wildfire about 60 kilometers from Madrid, which has burned 29,000 hectares and forced the evacuation of approximately 1,200 people since it started on Thursday.
The president of the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, Emiliano García-Page, stated that the spread of the fire towards the province of Soria has been practically halted, thanks to the efforts of more than 600 firefighters and emergency personnel during the night into Tuesday.
The wildfire broke out on Thursday and spread rapidly, leading to the evacuation of about 1,200 people from over 30 settlements. The flames have destroyed 29,000 hectares, and nearly 50 firefighting aircraft and helicopters have been deployed.
Firefighters are being hampered by high temperatures and strong winds. Spain is experiencing its third heatwave of the summer, although the national meteorological service AEMET predicts it will last only about three days.
In recent weeks, Spain, Portugal, and several other European countries have been battling a series of large wildfires. According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), wildfires in Spain have already destroyed more than 115,000 hectares since the beginning of the year.
