Thousands told to stay home as Spain forest fire rages
The blaze had devoured an estimated 3,137 hectares (7,751 acres), with the protected Els Ports natural park representing about one-third of the total, according to Catalan rangers.
An AFP journalist at the scene saw a helicopter swoop over burning vegetation and a house to drop water as grey smoke billowed from the green hills.
The blaze had gutted an isolated hillside home, which stood surrounded by scorched trees, its roof collapsed.
Firefighters said they were "cautiously optimistic" as they worked to stabilise the blaze and prevent it spreading further into the park.
"The changing wind patterns in the area will determine the fire's progression," the service added in a statement.
The emergency response could "begin a stabilisation phase in the final hours of the day", said the leader of Catalonia's regional authority, Salvador Illa.
Catalonia's civil protection authority urged residents to shut their doors and windows and stay home, saying around 18,000 people were affected.
Overnight gusts of up to 90 kilometres (56 miles) per hour had thwarted efforts to extinguish the fire, prompting reinforcements from the Spanish army's emergencies unit.
Scientists say human-induced climate change is increasing the intensity, length and frequency of the extreme heat that fuels forest fires.
Spain has in recent days sweltered through a heatwave that parched the land and heightened the risk of forest fires.
National weather agency AEMET said last month was Spain's hottest June on record and that the frequency of extreme heat had tripled in the past 10 years.
According to the European Forest Fire Information System, around 500 fires destroyed 300,000 hectares in Spain in 2022, a record for the continent.
Around 21,000 hectares have burned so far this year.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
a day ago
- LeMonde
Fast-spreading Grand Canyon wildfires force tourist evacuations
Fast-spreading wildfires have forced the evacuation of part of the Grand Canyon, with the US National Park Service saying at least 500 people had been guided out of the danger zone. The canyon's North Rim, which is less popular with tourists than the South Rim, was cleared of all visitors due to a blaze called the White Sage Fire. "Last night, Grand Canyon staff safely evacuated approximately 500 guests," the Park Service said in an update Friday, July 11. "All visitors have left the area, and park employees and residents remain sheltering in place. Day use access to the North Rim is closed until further notice." Jon Paxton, press officer for the Coconino County sheriff's office, told AFP that a hotel and some businesses had all been emptied. "Most of the folks we evacuated were campers," he said. "This area is high desert and mostly open forest for camping." The fire is burning outside the Grand Canyon National Park, but approaching Jacob Lake, Arizona, a small settlement known as the gateway to the North Rim. About 8,700 acres (3,500 hectares) have been scorched and the blaze is 0% contained, according to authorities, who released images of large columns of smoke rising above the scrubby desert. Ignited by lightning The fire was started by lightning during a thunderstorm on Wednesday. "Crews encountered very extreme fire behavior due to the dry conditions (and) gusty and erratic winds inhibiting the ability for fire fighters to safely engage the fire," the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) said. One of the greatest wonders of the natural world, the Grand Canyon is the result of the Colorado River eating away at layers of red sandstone and other rock for millions of years, leaving a gash up to 18 miles (30 km) wide and more than a mile (1.6 km) deep. The Park Service advised against any hiking into the canyon, due to extreme heat and wildfire smoke. A 67-year-old man died on Tuesday while attempting to reach the river in hot conditions. Last year, almost five million people visited the world-famous site. Another popular site, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado, was also closed Friday because of a wildfire.
Local France
2 days ago
- Local France
Marseille residents return to burnt out homes after wildfire
More than 1,000 firefighters were needed to control the blaze that regional authorities said was still not completely out late Wednesday. Fanned by winds and weeks without significant rainfall, the fire burned more than 750 hectares and caused Marseille airport, rail links and motorways to be closed while 400 people were evacuated as the blaze reached the city. In total 76 homes were left uninhabitable and dozens more damaged, the préfecture said. Some 400 people were evacuated and at one stage 15,000 residents of northern Marseille, France's second largest city, were told to stay indoors to avoid the smoke. A French firefighter inspects a burnt-out area in the Pelouque District of Marseille, southern France on July 9, 2025, after a wildfire swept through areas close to the centre of the Meditteranean port city. (Photo by Christophe SIMON / AFP) A vehicle that caught fire is reported to have caused the inferno at Pennes-Mirabeau, just north of the city on Tuesday evening. Thierry Heraud, one of the first residents to see his house threatened, said it had been like a "massacre", the fire had spread so quickly. Advertisement Authorities had to close Marseille airport for several hours and called in helicopters to dump water on the burning scrub. Train lines and motorways around Marseille were also closed and only resumed Wednesday. The small Mediterranean fishing port of Estaque suffered most damage with houses destroyed and burned cars left in roads. Bicycles left in one garden were twisted by the intense heat. Joelle Marrot, 78, said one side of her house had been burned but she looked across the garden to see the neighbouring house completely gutted. "There is no roof, it's horrible", she said. Dominique Russo, 59, had only just finished refurbishing his house in Estaque, and as the flames loomed he had to get his 93-year-old mother out to safety. Russo said he threw buckets of water onto his house through the night, even using water from his goldfish pond. While no deaths were reported, authorities said about 40 members of the public, 20 firefighters and 26 police were treated for smoke inhalation. According to weather data, France was among European countries to see the hottest June on record and many authorities fear more fires. "There's every reason to believe that we're heading for a high-risk summer," warned Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau on Tuesday. READ ALSO : Is France ready for a summer of increasingly severe wildfires?✎ Along the Mediterranean coast in an area near the city of Narbonne, firefighters fought to stamp out a blaze that had spread across 2,100 hectares since Monday. Nearby firefighters also battled two other major wildfires that had devastated nearly 1,000 hectares of terrain. Advertisement The first major fires of the season broke out in France this weekend in several southern departments, causing heavy traffic jams in the middle of the start of summer holidays. Scientists say human-induced climate change is increasing the intensity, length and frequency of extreme heat that fuels forest fires. READ ALSO : Do heatwaves cause wildfires in France?✎
France 24
4 days ago
- France 24
Thousands told to stay home as Spain forest fire rages
More than 450 firefighters backed by helicopters and planes were deployed across a hilly 30-kilometre (19-mile) front in the northeastern province of Tarragona, the Catalonia region's fire service said. The blaze had devoured an estimated 3,137 hectares (7,751 acres), with the protected Els Ports natural park representing about one-third of the total, according to Catalan rangers. An AFP journalist at the scene saw a helicopter swoop over burning vegetation and a house to drop water as grey smoke billowed from the green hills. The blaze had gutted an isolated hillside home, which stood surrounded by scorched trees, its roof collapsed. Firefighters said they were "cautiously optimistic" as they worked to stabilise the blaze and prevent it spreading further into the park. "The changing wind patterns in the area will determine the fire's progression," the service added in a statement. The emergency response could "begin a stabilisation phase in the final hours of the day", said the leader of Catalonia's regional authority, Salvador Illa. Catalonia's civil protection authority urged residents to shut their doors and windows and stay home, saying around 18,000 people were affected. Overnight gusts of up to 90 kilometres (56 miles) per hour had thwarted efforts to extinguish the fire, prompting reinforcements from the Spanish army's emergencies unit. Scientists say human-induced climate change is increasing the intensity, length and frequency of the extreme heat that fuels forest fires. Spain has in recent days sweltered through a heatwave that parched the land and heightened the risk of forest fires. National weather agency AEMET said last month was Spain's hottest June on record and that the frequency of extreme heat had tripled in the past 10 years. According to the European Forest Fire Information System, around 500 fires destroyed 300,000 hectares in Spain in 2022, a record for the continent. Around 21,000 hectares have burned so far this year.
