Spain's third heatwave of the year began on Tuesday, with temperatures expected to reach 45°C across the southern and eastern Iberian Peninsula and red alerts issued in parts of Andalusia after earlier blazes devastated the countryside.
The Guadalajara wildfire, previously reported at 12,000 hectares, has now scorched more than 26,000 hectares, becoming the largest on record in Castilla-La Mancha, forcing the evacuation of 25 municipalities and displacing over 1,000 residents. All 17 natural parks in the Valencian Community have been temporarily closed due to extreme heat. Nationwide, more than 100,000 hectares have burned in Spain since January, double the area destroyed in the same period last year, according to European satellite data. Less than two weeks ago, 13 people died in a wildfire in Almería province, the country's deadliest in decades.
In neighbouring France, 27 departments remain on maximum fire alert with 40,000 hectares burned this season.