Spanish firefighters are battling a large forest fire on Tuesday, driven by powerful winds that have scorched over 2,300 hectares (around 5,680 acres) of land. Authorities have urged thousands of residents in the affected area to remain indoors as the blaze continues to spread.
The Spanish army’s emergency response unit was deployed overnight near the northeastern city of Tarragona to assist local firefighting efforts. The fire has consumed approximately 2,377 hectares, mainly forested areas, according to countryside rangers in Catalonia. Notably, the Els Ports natural park, a protected area, accounts for 30 percent of the affected land.
Firefighting efforts are hampered by winds gusting up to 90 kilometers per hour (56 miles per hour), which make controlling the flames more challenging. Firefighters released footage captured from a helicopter on Monday, showing hills shrouded in thick clouds of grey and orange smoke stretching into the distance.
The national civil protection authority has advised residents to close their doors and windows and stay at home, affecting around 18,000 people in the region. The ongoing blaze comes amidst a severe heatwave that has gripped Spain in recent days, amplifying the risk of wildfires.
Scientists link the increasing severity and frequency of such fires to human-induced climate change, which is intensifying heatwaves. Last month, Spain experienced its hottest June on record, with the heatwave tripling in intensity over the past decade. In 2022, the European Forest Fire Information System reported about 500 fires across Spain that destroyed 300,000 hectares setting a record for the continent.
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