In Spain as in the rest of Europe, the forests are burning. A fire burned, Sunday August 14, several thousand hectares in the region of Aragon, in the north of Spain. At least 1,500 people have been evacuated, local authorities said. The fire, which started on Saturday in the municipality of Añón de Moncayo, was active on Sunday within a perimeter of 50 kilometers, “estimated between 8,000 and 10,000” hectares, within which the area burned, estimated “in thousands”was not yet determined, the Aragon emergency services told AFP.
The “rapid spread” flames, fueled by the wind, was deemed “critical” by the president of the region, Javier Lambán, speaking to the press. At least 1,500 people have been evacuated in this rural area which includes a natural park, in the province of Zaragoza, the regional government announced. Some 300 firefighters are fighting the flames, supported by helicopters.
Since the beginning of the year, 388 fires have destroyed nearly 261,930 hectares in Spain according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). This is the heaviest record of the countries of the European Union this year, and the most important in Spain since 2000, the year of the first measurements.
These fires were favored by abnormally high temperatures this summer in Spain, which has already experienced three heat waves in just two months. The resurgence of these heat waves is, according to experts, a direct consequence of global warming, which increases their intensity, duration and frequency.