Spain suspends Madrid-Barcelona high-speed rail due to wildfire

High-speed rail service between Madrid and Barcelona was suspended on Thursday due to a wildfire near the tracks in Catalonia. Rail operator Adif and carrier Renfe halted service between the Lleida-Pirineus and Camp de Tarragona stations. The stoppage followed a request from firefighters battling the blaze in northeastern Spain.

The disruption occurs as Spain prepares for the first heatwave of the season. The national meteorological agency forecast a sharp increase in fire risks beginning Sunday, particularly in northern inland regions. Temperatures are expected to rise Saturday and Sunday, with Galicia and the Cantabrian coast seeing significant increases.

Dry storms without heavy rain are expected to raise the risk of fires. Maximum temperatures may reach 36 to 38 degrees Celsius in inland valleys and 40 degrees in the east. The Ebro valley and major river basins could see 38 to 40 degrees, with a possibility of 42 degrees on Monday, which the agency identified as the likely peak of the heatwave.

Last summer, Spain and Portugal experienced a 16-day heatwave, the longest on record. Scientists state human-induced climate change is making extreme weather events more frequent.

A study published this month in the journal Earth System Science Data reported that human activity increased the average global temperature by 1.37 degrees Celsius in 2025 compared to pre-industrial levels. The report estimated the remaining carbon budget to stay below 1.5 degrees of warming at 130 billion tons of carbon dioxide as of early 2026. At current emission rates, this budget could be exhausted in approximately three years.