THE second worst wildfire in Spanish history is still blazing one week on.
The Guadalajara fire, which began last Thursday, has so far razed a record 320 square kilometres, the second largest by area in Spain’s recorded history.
While there have so far been no known casualties, the ecological damage – particularly in the Sierra Norte de Guadalajara Natural Park – is disastrous.
Starting in the village of La Mierla, so far 1,200 people have been evacuated from 28 towns and villages.
READ MORE: More than 1,000 evacuated near Madrid as year’s largest wildfire tears through 26,000 hectares
Over 200 firefighters and 20 planes and helicopters continue to battle the flames.
Extreme temperatures and strong winds have hampered efforts, while a heatwave expected to run until Friday is not helping.
The only good news is the front on the border of the Soria province has been contained.
President Pedro Sanchez and Castilla-la-Mancha leader, Emiliano Garcia-Page, visited the area this morning, sounding an ‘optimistic’ note.
Sanchez insisted the country (and Europe) will need new measures to fight climate change, while Page added the fire would be ‘stabilised’ by tomorrow (Thursday).
“The climatic emergency does not allow for negotiations nor delays,” insisted Sanchez.
This July is likely to be declared as the worst month in Spain’s history for fires.
As well as 13 people dying in a wildfire in Almeria, there have been more than 20 other fires this month. One in Benahavis saw up to 40 hectares destroyed, while another Grazalema saw a further 220 hectares razed.
The total land area destroyed is 100 square kilometres, with forest still blazing in Huelva, Segovia and Aragon.
The most devastating month in the history of fires in Spain was last August, with wildfires destroying around 350 square kilometres of land in just two weeks.
The fire that spread through Ourense, Lugo and Leon during that period devastated around 37 square kilometres and is the worst one in Spanish history.
In terms of human loss, however, fires in July 1994 took the lives of more than 30 people, making it the deadliest ever in Spain.
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