Footage from Niebla and Valverde del Camino, in Spain’s Huelva province, filmed on Monday 10 August 2026, shows firefighting helicopters dropping water on flames, plumes of smoke rising over the countryside, and evacuees gathered in a theatre in Zalamea la Real. Welder Daniel Lopez said neighbours were terrified after homes came close to burning, with some destroyed.
More than 600 firefighters backed by 26 aircraft have battled the blaze since it broke out a week earlier, regional emergencies minister Antonio Sanz said, describing it as extremely difficult and dangerous with no forecast of it being controlled soon. Around 20,000 hectares lie within the fire’s perimeter, and evacuations now total roughly 800 people after officials ordered residents of El Madrono to leave on Monday.
The fire comes amid a severe wildfire season in Spain, following a 50,000-hectare blaze near Madrid in July and a fire that killed 14 people in Almeria. Nearly all of mainland France and Switzerland recorded record drought in July, as Europe warms faster than any other continent, Copernicus data show.