Smoke from large wildfires burning in central Spain has reached Alicante province, giving the sky an orange hue and leaving a noticeable smell of burning. The phenomenon was widely observed on Sunday 26 July, when the sun appeared dimmed and the atmosphere turned hazy across several districts.

The smoke plume travelled hundreds of kilometres from fire zones in Madrid, Ávila and Toledo. Westerly and north-westerly winds in the middle layers of the atmosphere carried the particles south-east, eventually covering parts of Alicante province.

The Climatology Laboratory at the University of Alicante has confirmed that the murky conditions are not linked to Saharan dust, which had cleared the previous day. Instead, the reduced visibility and strange lighting were caused by smoke from the major mainland fires.

Several air quality monitoring stations in the province have recorded elevated levels of PM2.5 and PM10 particles, with air quality rated poor or unfavourable in some areas. Experts have urged vulnerable groups and people with existing health conditions to take particular care while high particle levels persist. The intensity of the episode will depend on changing wind direction and strength.