SerpApi.Org
More than 600 firefighters and troops and 29 aircraft on Tuesday battled for a sixth day a huge wildfire north of Madrid that authorities said is one of the most difficult they have faced.
The blaze, which broke out on Thursday in the province of Guadalajara around 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Madrid, is considered the most significant wildfire in Spain this year.
Some 1,200 people have been evacuated from their homes and the flames have so far scorched 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) of land, officials said.
A thick column of smoke rose above the mountains surrounding Tamajon, a small village of around 150 residents where firefighters had established their command centre, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.
Helicopters and planes took turns dropping water on the flames.
Castilla-La Mancha regional president Emiliano Garcia-Page said firefighters had "practically stopped" the blaze from advancing toward the town of Soria but it was still not under control.
"It is the most complex of those that have been tackled in recent years in Spain," he told reporters.
The fire broke out in an isolated forest area and quickly spread across neighbouring hills, fuelled by strong winds.
Authorities said it had been difficult to control because the area is sparsely populated, with large stretches of abandoned scrubland, and severe drought conditions.
Spain entered its third heatwave of the summer on Tuesday, with temperatures forecast to rise above 40C across large parts of the country, further complicating firefighting efforts.
Firefighters said that 34 isolated hamlets had been evacuated across Castilla-La Mancha. On top of 1,200 people ordered out of their homes, people in 14 other districts had been told to stay indoors away from the flames.
Earlier this month, Spain suffered one of its deadliest wildfires in recent history when a blaze in the southern province of Almeria killed 13 people and destroyed around 7,000 hectares.
"We are going through particularly complex weeks, and the risk of fires remains extremely high," government spokeswoman Elma Saiz told a news conference.
Scientists say human-caused climate change is increasing the length, intensity and frequency of heatwaves, drying out vegetation, and raising the risk of destructive wildfires.
In 2025, more than 393,000 hectares were destroyed by fire, according to the European Forest Fire Information System -- the most in Spain's recent history.
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