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| Spanish firefighters work to extinguish a forest fire in the villages of Cadalso, Descargamaria and Robledillo de Gata, in the Sierra de Gata region of Caceres, Extremadura. (Source: EPA) |
A day earlier, local authorities had evacuated about 700 people in three villages and hoped that weather conditions would improve to help control the fire soon.
The fire, which broke out on May 18, has burned more than 8,000 hectares of forest near the border with Portugal. Wind speeds of up to 60km/h have made it very difficult to control the fire.
An unusually dry winter in southern Europe following three years of below-average rainfall has increased the risk of wildfires in Spain.
The situation was made worse by an unusual heatwave in late April, which sent temperatures soaring in many parts of the country. Last year, nearly 500 fires burned more than 300,000 hectares of forest in the southern European country.
Climate change is believed to be a major cause of prolonged droughts, creating ideal conditions for wildfires to spread out of control and cause unprecedented material and environmental damage.
Teresa Ribera, Spain's Third Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, said the impact of the climate emergency was becoming increasingly clear.
According to Ms. Ribera, droughts in Spain are occurring more frequently and more intensely than before due to climate change.
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