Spain has imposed sweeping restrictions on access to forests, coastlines, and mountain roads on Wednesday as a total solar eclipse draws crowds to wildfire-prone areas. Romania's foreign ministry issued a travel warning for the Valencian Community, where maximum wildfire pre-alert was declared and natural parks shut, after authorities anticipated mass spontaneous gatherings in open terrain. Access to forest trails is banned and lighting fires within 500 metres of woodland is prohibited.
The eclipse is also complicating active firefighting. Nearly 700 personnel are battling a blaze in Niebla, Huelva, that has scorched 28,000 hectares, while a fire at Peñas de Riglos in Huesca remains 50 percent contained with 440 people evacuated. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska urged the public to observe the eclipse with caution.
In the Balearic Islands, the Ma-10 highway across the Serra de Tramuntana was closed and coastal parking areas shut as the archipelago braces for peak territorial pressure, with some 70,000 people expected at Playa de Palma alone.