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WILDFIRE

Evacuation orders lifted as Spain wildfire crews gain edge

Crews battling to subdue a wildfire that has ravaged vast swathes of land in eastern Spain gained more ground on Sunday, allowing officials to lift all remaining evacuation orders.

BRIF putting out a forest fire in spain
Members of the Forest Fires Reinforcement Brigades (BRIF) work to put out a wildfire in the Moncayo Natural Park, one of the almost 400 blazes that have broken out in Spain this year. ANDER GILLENEA / AFP

The blaze, which started on Monday near Bejis in the eastern Valencia region, has destroyed over 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of land and spurred the evacuation of around 2,200 people.

“It is in the process of being stabilised. We hope that this afternoon or tomorrow it will be stabilised,” Valencia regional president Ximo Puig told reporters.

“Now is the time to return to normality, with caution. Everyone from any municipality or district can now return home,” he added.

Local officials had already on Saturday lifted evacuation orders in two villages, Bejis and Toras, because the threat from the flames had diminished.

Firefighters said reduced winds, cooler overnight temperatures and higher humidity levels had allowed them to start to contain the blaze.

But they cautioned that temperatures were still high, with the mercury expected to rise to 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit), which when combined with hot, dry winds could still rekindle the wildfire.

About 20 aircraft were deployed to battle the blaze on Sunday, compared to 42 the day before, Puig said.

Another major wildfire which broke out last Saturday some 200 kilometres (125 miles) further south in the Vall de Ebo was brought under control on Sunday, he added.

It has ravaged some 12,000 hectares of woods, bushes and farmland.

The blazes are among the almost 400 to have broken out in Spain so far this year amid a series of punishing heatwaves and long dry spells that have devastated more than 283,000 hectares of land, more than three times the total area destroyed in 2021.

READ ALSO: Heavy rainfall helps contain huge wildfires in Spain’s Valencia region

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MADRID

Madrid to use flamenco to draw tourists in from the heat

Madrid city hall said Wednesday it will offer free flamenco shows at air conditioned museums during the hottest hours of the day to encourage tourists to seek shelter from the heat.

Madrid to use flamenco to draw tourists in from the heat

Spain endured its second-hottest year on record in 2023 and temperatures in Madrid regularly top 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) during the summer months, when tourists from around the world flock to the city. Over 1.6 million tourists visited the Spanish capital last July and August.

While temperatures in the morning are bearable, even Madrid’s central Retiro Park “is hot at 3:00 pm. The best places to take refuge are air-conditioned, and that means museums, cinemas and libraries,” said Madrid’s city councillor for culture and tourism, Marta Rivera de la Cruz.

READ ALSO: How Madrid plans to combat heatwaves this summer

To draw tourist indoors, Madrid’s three main museums – the Prado, the Reina Sofia and the Thyssen – as well as the Royal Collections Gallery next to the royal palace will offer free flamenco shows every day from 3:00 pm until 5:00 pm during July and August, she added.

The shows will features internationally renowned performers such as Yolanda Osuna and Eduardo Guerrero.

Public libraries will also offer humorous monologue shows and concerts in the early afternoon, while cinemas will offer reduced rates for screenings before 5:00 pm.

READ ALSO: Spain’s flamenco dress, an Andalusian classic evolving with fashion

The measure “will not involve any additional energy expenditure” since these venues were already air-conditioned, said Rivera de la Cruz.

Spain experienced seven heatwaves last year. since 1975, heatwaves have lengthened by three days per decade…and increased in temperature by 2.7C per decade, according to Spain’s AEMET weather agency.

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