Andalucía's fire services see their capacity limited in the face of the Niebla fire and order further evacuations

Sanz expects extinguishing the fire to be a "long-distance race with obstacles" that will last for days.

Sanz described the weather conditions that have deteriorated "drastically" since early on Monday morning, ahead of forecasts.

"The combination of southwesterly gusts, the challenging terrain of the ravines and the premature onset of convective phenomena, which generate large pyrocumulus clouds, is causing secondary fires to flare up in all directions, several kilometres away," Sanz said.

"This renders strategies ineffective and drastically reduces the effectiveness of aerial resources, as the intense heat and turbulence cause the water to evaporate before it reaches the ground. Given the risk that the flames could cut off firefighting teams due to the rapid merging of the fire front with secondary hotspots, the absolute priority remains ensuring the safety of the public and those involved in the operation," the regional minister said.

Sanz stated that the current focus is on maintaining and assessing possible new measures on the northern and northeastern flanks towards towns such as El Berrocal, Marigenta and El Pozuelo, as well as keeping in place the evacuations of 479 people.

Furthermore, the emergency services coordinating the response to the Niebla fire have ordered the precautionary evacuation of Las Delgadas, in Zalamea la Real (Huelva) and the main town of El Madroño (Seville) and its four districts: El Álamo, Juan Antón, Juan Gallego and Villargordo.

This is a precautionary step in view of the fire's potential spread. It aims to ensure the safe evacuation of residents before the fire could reach the area and block escape routes.

In the province of Huelva, the measure affects only Las Delgadas, with a registered population of 29 people, and Monte Sorromero, with six. Residents will be moved to the reception centre set up at the Ruiz Tatay municipal centre in Zalamea la Real.

In the province of Seville, the measure covers the main town of El Madroño and the areas of El Álamo, Juan Antón, Juan Gallego and Villargordo. The municipality has 286 registered inhabitants: around 180 in the main town and 106 in the four inhabited areas.

The contingency plans take into account the high number of people aged over 65 and the limitations of a road network constrained by the terrain and the forest. Evacuation will take place towards El Castillo de las Guardas via the provincial roads linking to the A-476.

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