One man has died late Monday night after a wildfire swept through the outskirts of Tres Cantos, a commuter town located approximately 20 km north of the Spanish capital Madrid, reported Xinhua.
According to Madrid Emergency Services, the victim was rescued from the blaze but later succumbed to severe burns at La Paz Hospital in Madrid. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and President of the Comunidad de Madrid Isabel Diaz Ayuso expressed their condolences on social media following the announcement of his death.
Authorities believe the fire was likely sparked by a lightning strike on nearby farmland on Monday afternoon. Fanned by gusts of wind reaching up to 70 km per hour, the fire spread rapidly, prompting the urgent evacuation of around 200 residents. However, one man could not be evacuated in time.
So far, approximately 1,000 hectares have been consumed by the blaze, and its effects have been felt as far as central Madrid.
Miren Sanz, a Madrid resident, recounted her experience: "The smell was really strong. It was like someone had lit a bonfire outside the window, but the fire was 20 km away." She said she initially checked her garden and building to see if anything nearby was burning.
Mark Ellington, who also lives in northern Madrid, described similar concerns. "Just to make sure that nothing nearby was on fire," he said, after going outside upon detecting the smell of smoke.
"Then my wife told me there was a fire in Tres Cantos and I realized it must have come from there," Ellington added. "What struck me was how you could almost taste the smoke and how everything looked hazy."
Meanwhile, in the southern tourist resort of Tarifa, around 2,000 people were evacuated from hotels and homes due to a second wildfire in the area in less than a week. Strong winds again contributed to the fire's spread.
In the province of Zamora, approximately 850 people were evacuated on Monday as another fire swept through Molezuelas de la Carballeda. In the neighboring region of Castilla y Leon, over 1,500 hectares have been destroyed in a wildfire affecting Las Medulas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its pristine woodlands. Sections of the protected landscape have been reduced to ash.
A fire map published on the website of national broadcaster RTVE shows widespread fire activity across the country, with orange and red indicators marking both active and affected zones.
The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) reported on Monday that more than 59,000 hectares of land have burned in Spain so far in 2025, marking an increase of nearly 25 percent in just the past week.
With no rain forecast and temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in many regions, Spain continues to suffer from one of the most prolonged heatwaves on record since data collection began in 1975.
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
