A wildfire in central Spain has already ravaged more than 500 hectares of forest and scrubland, Spanish authorities reported on Tuesday evening.
“The situation is not encouraging,” said the technical director of the fire brigade in Mombeltrán, west of Madrid.
A firefighter tragically died on the way to the scene when his vehicle veered off the road.
Aircraft and helicopters have been deployed to combat the blaze, which began on Monday evening. Ground teams have been creating firebreaks to prevent it from spreading further.
The area's mountainous terrain is laden with flammable vegetation, since heavy rains earlier this year led to an accumulation of vegetation that dried out in recent weeks due to heat. Strong winds have exacerbated the flames.
The area suffered a devastating forest fire in 2009.
Experts have long warned that Spain's forests are poorly maintained, and “forests are tinderboxes,” Forestry expert Rosendo Castelló told La Vanguardia newspaper.
He noted that over the last fifty years, forested areas have increased by about 20% due to abandoned agricultural land.
