In several regions of Spain, firefighters are struggling to contain wildfires amidst a heatwave with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104F).
While this year’s lack of precipitation and gusty winds created the conditions for the fires, experts attribute the abnormally hot period to climate change.
More than 61,000 acres (25,000 hectares) of land have been consumed in the province of Zamora, located in the country’s northwest.
In the sparsely populated area, water-dumping planes and helicopters are assisting more than 500 firefighters.
The abnormally warm period in Europe has been linked by experts to climate change.
Throughout the week, thermometers in numerous Spanish cities have risen above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) – August-typical temperatures.
This year’s lack of precipitation and gusty winds have created the conditions for the fires.
In recent days, many regions of Western Europe have experienced unseasonably high temperatures, heightening concerns about climate change.
The current heatwave in Europe began nearly a week ago in Spain, where temperatures reached 43 degrees Celsius.
The fire that began in the Sierra de la Culebra in Zamora has forced the evacuation of at least ten villages, although Saturday night’s temperature drop aided firefighters.
Nearly 20,000 hectares of land had been burned in the Sierra de la Culebra mountain range, and the fire was “still active,” according to a tweet from the Castile and Leon regional governments.
Saturday’s cancellation of the high-speed train service between Madrid and the northwestern region of Spain was reversed on Sunday morning.
The military has deployed firefighting units in Zamora, Navarra in the north, and Lleida in the northeast.
There have been no reports of fatalities, but the flames have reached the outskirts of some Zamora and central Navarra villages.
In other communities, residents watched in despair as black plumes rose from nearby hills.
Authorities have evacuated 15 small villages in central Navarra as a precaution, as temperatures are not expected to drop until Wednesday.
They also requested that farmers stop using heavy equipment that could accidentally start a fire.
Wildfires are also active in Lleida, Tarragona, and a nature park in Graf, just south of Barcelona, in north-eastern Catalonia.
