Extreme heat and strong winds whipped up dangerous “fire whirls” as a wildfire burned several houses and forced hundreds to evacuate near the UNESCO-listed Las Médulas park in northern Spain, regional authorities said on Monday.
About 800 people across half a dozen villages in the north of Castile and León were ordered to leave their homes as multiple fires raged. In the town of Congosta, residents sprayed houses, trees and pavement with garden hoses to try to protect properties while police warned them to be ready to evacuate. Thick smoke prevented firefighting aircraft from operating.
“There are already several houses that have burned down, we don’t know what to do anymore. We’re completely defenseless and have been abandoned,” said 70-year-old Congosta resident Evangelina Peral Delgado.
Juan Carlos Suárez-Quinones, the regional government’s chief of environment, said firefighters were forced to retreat after “fire whirls” developed on Sunday when temperatures reached around 40 °C (104 °F). He explained these occur when a fire in a confined valley suddenly moves into a more open, oxygen-rich area and forms a spinning fireball.
Scientists warn that hotter, drier summers across the Mediterranean increase the risk of such rapidly spreading blazes. Spain was enduring a prolonged heatwave, with forecasts of temperatures up to about 42 °C in some zones on Monday.
Evacuees described the shock of losing homes and possessions. Domingo Aparicio, 77, said he was evacuated from Cubo de Benavente after a warehouse in front of his home burned down. “How am I supposed to feel? It’s always shocking for people close to the catastrophe,” he said.
Authorities said two or three of the fires may have been ignited by lightning, but officials believe the majority show signs of deliberate ignition, a phenomenon Suárez-Quinones called “environmental terrorism.”
Across the border in northern Portugal, nearly 700 firefighters battled a blaze that began on Saturday near Trancoso. So far this year about 52,000 hectares (200 square miles) have burned in Portugal — roughly 10,000 hectares more than the 2006–2024 average for the same period, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. Spanish authorities were also fighting fires in Navarra in the northeast and Huelva in the southwest.
Additional comments and context:
– Fire whirls form when extreme heat, steep terrain, and shifting winds combine; they are highly dangerous and unpredictable, often forcing crews to pull back for safety.
– Smoke and high temperatures can ground aircraft and hamper frontline firefighting, increasing reliance on ground crews and local community efforts.
– The pattern of multiple, simultaneous fires across Spain and nearby countries this season is consistent with the Mediterranean trend toward hotter, drier summers that elevate wildfire risk.
– Where arson is suspected, rapid investigation and prosecutions are important both as a deterrent and to inform prevention strategies.
Brief summary:
A series of wildfires near the Las Médulas UNESCO site in Castile and León have burned homes and prompted the evacuation of about 800 people. Extreme heat and winds produced dangerous fire whirls that forced firefighting retreats; thick smoke prevented aerial support. Officials say some blazes were likely started deliberately while a few may stem from lightning. The situation comes amid a wider regional surge in fires and record heat.
Hopeful note:
Despite the damage, local firefighters and communities are mobilizing to protect people and property. Investigations into causes are under way, and broader awareness of the links between extreme heat and fire risk can help strengthen prevention, response capacity and longer-term resilience measures so that vulnerable landscapes and communities are better protected in future.
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