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Flames in Vall d'Ebo
Photo:
NATXO FRANCES / EPO
The most devastating forest fire in the last ten years in the Spanish holiday region of Valencia has continued to spread unchecked.
The flames in the Vall d'Ebo area about 60 kilometers northeast of Alicante have already destroyed more than 9,500 hectares of forest, reported the state television station RTVE and other Spanish media, citing fire department spokesmen.
The area corresponds to more than 13,000 soccer fields.
It was the worst fire in Valencia since 2012, it said.
Because of the flames that had been blazing since Saturday, a total of around 2,000 people had to be brought to safety by Tuesday.
It was initially not known whether tourists were also evacuated.
The fire raged less than 50 kilometers from beach resorts on the Costa Blanca, which are also popular with German tourists, such as Jávea and Dénia.
The columns of smoke could be seen from afar, and according to media reports, the ash clouds also reached the Mediterranean island of Mallorca, almost 300 kilometers away.
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Smoke over Madrid: The consequences of a forest fire in Portugal were felt in the Spanish capital
Photo: ISABEL INFANTES / REUTERS
In combination with a drought that has lasted for months, great heat and very dry air, forest fires have been occurring again and again since June.
2022 is the most devastating forest fire year for Spain since records began.
According to measurements by the European earth observation system Copernicus, more than 270,000 hectares have already been destroyed by hundreds of forest fires since the beginning of the year.
These 2700 square kilometers are more than the area of Saarland.
On the Iberian peninsula, Portugal is also affected by the forest fires: in the Portuguese national park Serra da Estrela in the center of the country, a huge forest fire flared up again on Monday after it had already been largely extinguished.
Several villages were also evacuated there.
The smoke moved to Madrid, hundreds of kilometers away, enveloped the »Cuatro Torres«, the four skyscrapers in the Spanish capital, and caused a strong smell of burning in the city.
hba/dpa/Reuters