Spanish authorities announced Sunday that a fire that broke out Thursday about 100 kilometers north of Madrid has consumed 13,000 hectares, causing the evacuation of hundreds of people.

The fire service in Castile, central Spain, reported that the 'forest fire in the town of La Miella in the Guadalajara area' has consumed '13,000 hectares of land and affected more than 700 people'.

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Hundreds of firefighters are working to contain the flames with the help of helicopters. The fire, which broke out Thursday in the mountainous and forested region of Guadalajara, particularly in the Sierra Norte park which houses threatened species of eagles, wolves, and butterflies, has not caused any casualties.

Dry vegetation

This fire adds to another that broke out Wednesday near Zaragoza in the northeast, while Spain prepares for a new heat wave on Tuesday with temperatures that could exceed 45 degrees Celsius in some isolated areas. Spain recently experienced one of the worst fires in its history after it started in Andalusia (south) on July 9, killing 13 people and consuming 7,000 hectares. Scientists point out that climate change caused by human activities increases the duration, intensity, and frequency of heat waves, leading to drought of vegetation and increasing the risk of fires.