Firefighters continue to battle wildfires across Spain, with the one in the Madrid region likely to become the largest in the country's recent history, local media reported, quoted by DPA, BTA reported.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that a government meeting tomorrow will approve the creation of a scientific advisory council on climate change, which will include leading Spanish climate researchers.
"These are not isolated incidents, but a climate disaster," Sanchez stressed.
The fire in the province of Avila, less than 100 kilometers west of Madrid, has burned nearly 47,000 hectares after raging for several days, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlasca.
If the data is finally confirmed, this would be the largest forest fire since official statistics began in 1968.
A preliminary investigation by the authorities found that it was caused by agricultural work. Local media reported that a man was detained on suspicion of causing the fire through negligence. He used heavy agricultural machinery despite a ban imposed in the region.
The interior minister warned against making hasty assessments, as firefighters are gradually controlling the fires.
"The situation with the forest fires is gradually improving", Grande-Marlasca told journalists last night. Firefighters are still battling the flames in the Sierra Occidental region west of Madrid and in the neighboring province of Toledo. Along with the Ávila fire, the three fires have devastated nearly 77,000 hectares of forest and shrubland.
The government has declared a state of emergency in the affected areas to speed up the delivery of aid. The Interior Ministry said the total number of people affected by evacuations and movement restrictions is nearly 90,000.
Spain's emergency response agency said the fires in Madrid and neighboring provinces had been contained, although several fires remained active. Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia visited an emergency center on Sunday and offered encouragement to affected citizens.
Meanwhile, another forest fire broke out in the eastern province of Castellón, where it devastated 6,500 hectares and 16,000 people were evacuated.