ONE of the largest wildfires in Andalucia’s recorded history has been brought under control after a harrowing two weeks of firefighting.
The blaze in Huelva province was stabilised on Thursday morning, firefighters said, after scorching around 330 square kilometres of forests and farmland.
Around 700 people were evacuated from areas of Huelva and Sevilla after the wildfire broke out in Niebla on August 6.
At least 70 residents have since been allowed to return, Spanish media have reported.
Andalucian president Juanma Moreno showered praise on the regional firefighting service INFOCA, thanking responders publicly in a post on X.
He said: “The work of [INFOCA] tackling one of the most complex wildfires has been admirable.
“They have saved lives and homes and prevented the fire from spreading much further.
“Thank you.”
The fire torched an area equivalent to around 45,000 football pitches, according to data from the Spanish government.
The staggering figure is surpassed only by the 340 square kilometres burned in a 2004 blaze in Minas de Riotinto, also in Huelva province.
Across Spain, nearly 3,000 square kilometres of land have already been ravaged by wildfires so far this year, according to the EU’s fire monitoring system Copernicus.
The figure means Spain is on track to match or surpass the 3,900 square kilometres lost to blazes last year – the worst wildfire season in the country’s history.
Last month, a sprawling blaze west of Madrid became the largest wildfire ever recorded in Spain after scorching around 500 square kilometres of land.
Earlier in July, a deadly blaze in Almeria province killed 14 people – 13 of them expats – making it Spain’s deadliest wildfire since 2005.
Andalucia’s minister for emergencies, Antonio Sanz, said firefighters would continue monitoring the Huelva area amid a sustained risk of new flare-ups.
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