Status: 08/14/2022 8:07 p.m
Several villages in northeastern Spain have been evacuated because of a forest fire. Winds keep fanning the fire. 2022 is the most devastating forest fire year for Spain.
About 1,500 residents of several towns in the province of Zaragoza in northeastern Spain have had to flee their homes because of a forest fire that got out of control. They were housed in three sports centers in the area.
The flames in the region around the town of Añón de Moncayo, about 70 kilometers west of the city of Zaragoza, are fueled by strong gusts of wind, a firefighter said on Spanish state television station RTVE. In addition, the wind direction is constantly changing. The situation is critical.
50 kilometers in 24 hours
TV showed how residents of the region, already enveloped in acrid smoke, tried to stop the flames on the outskirts of the villages with garden hoses and buckets of water. They were supported by 300 firefighters.
The forest fire, which broke out on Saturday, spread to a radius of 50 kilometers in less than 24 hours, according to the local forest director. The burnt area could be as large as 8,000 hectares, the EFE news agency reported.
Lightning fire in Jumilla
Also further south in Jumilla near Murcia, the fire brigade fought a forest fire in strong winds, which is said to have been triggered by lightning. In combination with a drought that has lasted for months and great heat, which experts attribute to climate change, as well as very dry air, forest fires occur again and again.
2022 is the most devastating forest fire year for Spain since records began. According to measurements by the European earth observation system Copernicus, more than 260,000 hectares have already been destroyed in almost 388 forest fires. These 2600 square kilometers correspond to the area of Saarland.
Bordeaux fire under control
Meanwhile, French and European forces have brought the fire on the Atlantic coast near Bordeaux under control. As a spokesman for the local prefecture said, the rainy and windless night helped. The 8,000 residents who had to leave their homes temporarily could go back. The fire may have been caused by arson.
The fire brigade south of Bordeaux has been fighting the flames for weeks. They also recently received support from other countries: 65 firefighters from Germany took part.