On Monday, an uncontrolled wildfire continued to rage for a fifth consecutive day in the central Spanish province of Guadalajara, becoming the country’s largest since the start of the year. At the same time, meteorologists warn that an approaching heatwave will increase the risk of new outbreaks across most of Spain, Reuters writes.

Spain and the countries of Southern Europe are increasingly facing devastating wildfire seasons — a trend scientists link to global climate change.

This fire broke out less than two weeks after a wildfire near Bédar in Almería province claimed 13 lives, becoming one of the deadliest in Spain in recent decades.

On Monday, authorities evacuated residents from three more municipalities as the area burned by the “La Mierla” fire in Guadalajara province exceeded 26,000 hectares. More than 1,000 people were forced to leave their homes.

Regional leader Emiliano García-Page said that nearly 30 settlements had been encircled by the flames, underscoring the extreme difficulty of firefighters’ work. According to him, the main priority remains protecting people’s lives and preventing the fire from reaching homes and urban areas.

Spain’s meteorological agency AEMET said that the heatwave — already the third of 2026 — will last at least until Thursday. It will bring temperatures above 40°C to much of the country’s southeastern interior and raise the fire danger level to extreme.

By Thursday, thermometers in some areas may rise to 42–44°C due to hot, dry air arriving from North Africa. The agency also warned of the risks of “dry” thunderstorms in mountainous areas in eastern Spain.

As of today, Spain holds the grim lead among European Union countries for the largest area burned this year. According to data from the European Copernicus satellite monitoring service, 104,423 hectares have already been destroyed by fire in Spain in 2026, compared with 41,781 hectares in France.

The current disaster comes after last summer’s exceptionally destructive season, when 354,747 hectares burned in Spain and 63 major wildfires were recorded, the highest annual figure of the past decade.