Wind threatens to spread large wildfire in northeastern Spain

Firefighters in northeastern Spain prepared for another difficult night on Friday as shifting winds threatened to spread a large wildfire in the Aragon region. The fire began on Wednesday in a rural area and has burned almost 14,000 hectares, or 34,600 acres.

More than 400 firefighters, supported by army reinforcements, have been deployed. Several small villages have been evacuated. Roberto Bermudez de Castro, a senior regional government official, said the main concern was the wind, which he described as changing sharply. He said warm, dry winds over the next 24 hours could reignite parts of the fire that had weakened and complicate overnight operations.

A yellow heat warning, the lowest level, was in place for Aragon on Saturday, with temperatures forecast to reach 36C. Scientists say human-driven climate change is increasing the length, intensity and frequency of extreme heat, creating conditions that help wildfires spread and make firefighting more difficult.

Emergency services released aerial images showing the fire burning through forests and fields. Fire engines faced a high wall of flames in areas where vegetation had been engulfed.

Regional leader Jorge Azcon said on X that King Felipe VI had called him to ask about the fire's progress and to send encouragement to firefighters.

In Guadalajara province in central Spain, another wildfire that began on Thursday forced authorities to evacuate 11 villages and deploy more than 350 firefighters. That fire has burned more than 2,000 hectares and entered the Sierra Norte natural park, a protected area that is home to threatened eagle, wolf and butterfly species.

Spain is still recovering from a fire last week in Andalusia that killed 13 people, including seven Britons and an American, and destroyed 7,000 hectares. Last year, deadly wildfires burned almost 400,000 hectares in Spain, the highest figure recorded for the country by the European Forest Fire Information System.