UPDATE: Roads reopened but Huelva fire continues to threaten Doñana National Park

HUNDREDS of fire fighters continue to battle the fire which has threatened to engulf Doñana National Park since Saturday evening.

The blaze continues to be active on three fronts, two of which have now been confined, although the situation could again spiral out of control should the wind pick up.

It comes as the Junta de Andalucia’s environment councillor, Jose Fiscal, said in a television interview that the area which has burned is the “buffer which protects the natural jewel of Doñana,” before adding that “the outlook is good” in terms of controlling the inferno.

Roads in the Almonte-Moguer-Matalscañas area have been reopened, allowing around 50,000 people, many of whom had been trapped on Matalscañas beach on Sunday, to escape escorted by Guardia Civil vehicles.

Most of the 2,000 local residents evacuated over the weekend have now returned home, although around 450 remain in temporary shelters set up in leisure centres.

A female Iberian lynx named Homer, one of 14 adults released from the captive breeding centre amid panic on Sunday, has died as a result of “stress suffered during capture and transportation,” officials have confirmed.

Susana Diaz being briefed on the situation      ©Junta de Andalucia

An estimate of the area affected has not yet been made as emergency services prioritise extinguishing what remains of the fire, as Junta de Andalucia president Susana Diaz said that the affected terrain will not be reclassified or developed due to its protected status.

Social media has been awash with conspiracy theories and rumours after a number of officials said that the blaze appears to have been started deliberately.

Footage shows some of the devastation the fires have caused to the area: 

Spain’s Airforce also uploaded footage onto their Twitter page, showing the scale of the blaze that tore through the region. 

#Ahora el #43Grupo @EjercitoAire combate el #IIFF #IFMoguer #IFDoñana #Huelva #ApagaYVamonos pic.twitter.com/zjctgxYIBd

— Ejército del Aire (@EjercitoAire) June 25, 2017