Spain warns of wildfire risk ahead of total solar eclipse
Spanish authorities have warned of an increased wildfire risk as hundreds of thousands of visitors prepare to travel across the country to watch Wednesday's total solar eclipse, reports a Qazinform News Agency correspondent.
Northern Spain is expected to offer some of the world's best views of the rare astronomical event, with the Finance Ministry forecasting around 460,000 additional international visitors.
Police expect about 1.5 million additional car journeys on Wednesday, raising concerns that heavy traffic could obstruct emergency vehicles in rural areas. Parking near dry vegetation or on hard shoulders has been banned, along with barbecues and fireworks.
The Valencia region has also closed natural parks and prohibited access to rural footpaths as a precaution.
The warnings follow exceptionally hot and dry conditions. Spain's national weather agency AEMET said July was mainland Spain's joint-hottest July since records began in 1961 and its driest on record, with only 4.3 mm of rainfall.
Hay que sumar una más a esta estadística.
— AEMET Comunitat Valenciana (@AEMET_CValencia) August 10, 2026
Las noches tórridas se dispararon y generalizaron a partir de 2022. En estos cuatro años y lo que llevamos de 2026 se han registrado 100 noches tórridas en València (frente a 18 en los 60 años entre 1940 y 1999).https://t.co/YPVLbiZYvM
Hospitals have also been placed on alert for possible eye injuries. Experts are urging people to use certified protective glasses when viewing the eclipse, warning that looking directly at the Sun can cause permanent eye damage.
The path of totality will cross Spain in a roughly 200-km-wide band from A Coruña in the northwest to Mallorca in the Mediterranean.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that a total solar eclipse will sweep across parts of Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the Atlantic Ocean, Spain and a small corner of Portugal on Aug. 12.