Thousands forced to evacuate as wildfire rips through Spanish national park

Around 1,500 people were forced to evacuate as a forest fire in southern Spain spread through a famous national park.

Flames have advanced eastwards and have entered Donana National Park, one of Spain’s most important nature reserves and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994.

The park, which has more than 123,550 acres of wetlands and woods, is an important stop for migratory birds from Africa and Europe. It is also home to a variety of animals, including the highly endangered Iberian lynx and the Iberian imperial eagle.

‘The fire has entered in the limits of the reserve, and that is where we are focusing our efforts,’ Jose Gregorio Fiscal Lopez, from the regional Andalusian authority in charge of the environment, told a national Spanish TV station.

Susana Diaz, regional president of Andalusia, added that ‘there’s no risk to the population’ after the one-and-a-half thousand or so people were evacuated from campsites and houses near the town of Moguer on Spain’s southern coast, where the fire started on Saturday night.

By midday on Sunday, at least 750 people were allowed to return.

However, Diaz said the fire was still proving difficult to contain due to the hot, dry weather, and shifting winds. Temperatures have been reaching 39°C.

More than 150 firefighters and 21 air units were deployed to combat the blaze on Sunday after images on Spanish TV showed trees being engulfed by flames overnight.

‘it’s still very early, but we are not ruling out the human factor’ as a possible cause of the blaze, Diaz said.

She also thanked Spain’s King Felipe VI for phoning up to express his concern.