Deadly Spain Wildfires Force Mass Evacuations Amid Heatwave

Ferocious wildfires driven by scorching winds claimed a life and displaced thousands across Spain on Tuesday, marking the first fatality since an intense heatwave gripped the country last week.

Authorities said the victim, who sustained severe burns as flames tore through Tres Cantos, a wealthy suburb north of Madrid, died in hospital.

Winds reaching 70 kilometres per hour fanned the blaze, which covered six kilometres in just 40 minutes, according to Madrid’s regional environment chief Carlos Novillo.

Regional leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso expressed that she “deeply regretted” the loss in a message posted on X.

Hundreds of residents were evacuated from Tres Cantos before firefighters contained the blaze by Tuesday morning.

In Andalusia, around 2,000 people were forced to leave hotels and homes near the beaches of Tarifa after a separate wildfire broke out near the site of another evacuation earlier this month.

“We managed to save the residential area at the very last second,” said Antonio Sanz, Andalusia’s regional interior minister. He added that a Civil Guard officer was injured after being hit by a car during the evacuation effort.

Elsewhere, the northwestern region of Castile and Leon reported over 30 fires on Monday, including one threatening Las Médulas, a UNESCO World Heritage site famed for its ancient Roman gold mines.

Meteorologists warned that Tuesday could be the heatwave’s most extreme day, with all regions under weather alerts, highs near 40°C, and overnight lows above 25°C.

PUNCH