Firefighters struggle to put out three wildfires in southwestern Spain

Firefighters struggled on Monday to control three large wildfires in southern Spain that has forced the evacuation of around 800 people due to shifting winds and difficult terrain, officials said.

More than 600 firefighters backed by 26 water-dropping aircraft were battling the blaze which broke out last week in the Andalusian province of Huelva, said the region’s minister for emergencies, Antonio Sanz.

“We are facing an extremely difficult, complex and dangerous wildfire, with the weather conditions continuing to offer us no respite. It is a long-distance race full of obstacles,” he said.

“We have to be realistic: there is no forecast that the fire will be brought under control any time soon. There are still hours and probably days of intense work ahead.”

Crews worked through the night, carrying out controlled burns and creating mechanised firebreaks, but authorities said rugged terrain and weather conditions had slowed progress.

More than 20,000 hectares of land are currently enclosed by the fire, but authorities stressed this figure refers to the area contained within the fire line and does not mean all of it has burned.

Officials on Monday ordered the evacuation of the municipality of El Madrono, which has a population of around 300 people, bringing to about 800 the total number of evacuees.

Crews are also battling blazes in Castellón and Segovia. All three fires have been graded level two for severity.

Spain is enduring a tough summer for wildfires, with around three dozen blazes having forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people, especially in the centre of the country.

One that raged in July in the Avila region near Madrid was considered the biggest Spain had seen in recent history, laying waste to some 50,000 hectares.

Early in July, another sweeping blaze caused 14 deaths in Almeria province in Andalusia.

Europe has suffered a succession of heatwaves and droughts this year, which scientists say have been aggravated by human-generated climate change.

Additional sources • AFP

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