A fierce wildfire driven by extreme heat and wind has forced over 18,000 people into lockdown in Spain’s Tarragona province, Reuters reports. The fire, which erupted on July 7 near the village of Pauls, has scorched nearly 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres), with several dozen residents evacuated.
More than 300 firefighters and emergency military units were deployed to contain the fire, as gusts of up to 90 km/h (56 mph) complicated efforts. Authorities hoped calmer winds later in the day would help slow the blaze.
Spain is facing mounting wildfire threats after recording its hottest June on record. Just a week earlier, two people died in another blaze in the same Catalonia region, highlighting how climate conditions are intensifying fire risks across southern Europe.
The escalating situation in Spain is part of a broader global pattern in which climate disasters are fueling wildfires and becoming an increasingly common reality. Click through the following gallery to learn more about the most destructive wildfires in recent history.