A week-old wildfire in Niebla, in Spain's southern Huelva province, has scorched more than 31,000 hectares and forced 718 people from their homes, after earlier burning through 8,000 hectares in a single day. The Military Emergency Unit, which has more than 350 troops on the ground, described the blaze as highly complex due to shifting winds but noted a slowing rate of spread over recent days.
Separately, a solar eclipse on Wednesday forced aerial firefighting crews to ground aircraft early under national aviation safety orders. Opposition Socialist lawmakers criticised regional president Juanma Moreno for not visiting the fire zone and called for year-round prevention staffing.
Fires elsewhere in Spain have been contained, including blazes in Jaén and Albacete, while a fire in Huesca province has reached a 58-kilometre perimeter, prompting further evacuations. Total burned area across Spain now exceeds 265,000 hectares this year.