It is one of the biggest fires of what is now called in Spain "the forest fire season" In the west of Extremadura, in the park of Las Hurdes, 8,500 hectares went up in smoke. 700 villagers from four localities were evacuated and several roads were cut.
Aerial images show that the columns of smoke cover 360 kilometers, including part of Portugal. The same area had been burned twenty years ago, again intentionally. According to the regional government, this is because of ranchers who need grazing for their herds.