Wildfire in Spain disrupts Madrid-Barcelona rail service as heatwave looms

MADRID, June 18 - The high-speed rail service between Spain's Madrid and Barcelona was disrupted on Thursday after a wildfire broke out near a section in Catalonia, rail operator Adif said.

The disruption comes as Spain braces for the first heatwave of the season, with the risk of fire forecast to rise sharply from Sunday, particularly across northern interior zones, the national weather service said.

Last summer, Spain and Portugal suffered a 16-day heatwave that was the most intense on record and helped stoke devastating forest blazes. Scientists say such extreme weather is becoming more frequent due to human-caused climate change.

Train operator Renfe suspended services between the Lleida-Pirineus and Camp de Tarragona stations at the request of firefighters tackling the blaze, which broke out close to the line between Les Borges Blanques and L'Espluga de Francoli, in Catalonia, in northeastern Spain, both Adif and Renfe said.

The weather agency warned that temperatures were set to rise from Saturday, with a sharper increase on Sunday, especially in Galicia and the Cantabrian coast, in the north and northwest.

Highs could exceed 36-38 degrees Celsius (97-100 degrees Fahrenheit) in inland valleys, reaching 40C in the east, while the Ebro valley and major river basins may see 38-40C, with a slight chance of locally hitting 42C on Monday, which the agency said was likely to be the peak of the heatwave in many areas.

The agency added that fire danger would increase, driven by dry storms with little precipitation, and that the full intensity and duration remained uncertain. REUTERS