Regional authorities said on Wednesday, July 20, that the massive wildfire burning in Ateca, near Zaragoza, had a “favourable outlook” despite having swept through 14,000 hectares.
Deployed fire crews, however, say the fire is far from being contained and that the shifting winds and the hard-to-access dry terrain pose major challenges for those working on the ground.
The Ateca wildfire started on Saturday and local media says it might have been sparked by a forestry services crew planting trees on a hill.
After a meeting of the emergency services on Thursday morning, the governor of the region said the fire perimeter hadn’t grown overnight.
Almost 2,000 residents of five municipalities have been evacuated.
On Wednesday night, many of them had to be relocated to the town of Calatayud as the blaze changed direction.
