United News of Bangladesh

Firefighters continued battling one of Spain's largest wildfires on Wednesday as an intense heat wave spread across the Mediterranean, raising fears of more devastating blazes. The wildfire in the rural province of Guadalajara has burned more than 32,000 hectares (79,000 acres), making it the second-largest wildfire in Spain's history after last year's 37,000-hectare blaze in the country's northwest. Authorities have evacuated 34 villages, though no deaths or serious injuries have been reported. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the affected area and called for political unity to address climate change, saying rising temperatures and extreme weather are causing increasing destruction. He noted that Spain has already recorded 22 major forest fires this year, with more than 100,000 hectares scorched in the first half of 2026- matching the country's annual average over the past decade. Ecological Transition Minister Sara Aagesen described the Guadalajara wildfire as the largest ever in Castilla-La Mancha and one of the country's biggest in recent history. Regional authorities said firefighters, supported by water-dropping aircraft, have protected homes in all 40 villages within the affected area, most of which lies inside a national park. Officials hope to bring the nearly week-old blaze under control by Friday. The fire comes less than two weeks after another deadly wildfire in southern Spain killed 13 people, including several foreigners. Spain's weather agency warned that the current heat wave could worsen firefighting efforts, with temperatures expected to reach 40°C across much of the country and exceed 42°C in parts of Andalusia.