Eclipse excitement sweeps Spain as millions prepare to watch the skies

MEDINACELI, Spain (AP) — Spaniards rushed to buy specialized glasses to view a rare total solar eclipse Wednesday, as authorities warned people flocking to rural areas to avoid anything that could spark new wildfires.Across a swath of northern and central Spain, millions of people will have some of mainland Europe's best views of the celestial spectacle. A sliver of Greenland and Iceland, too, will witness the spectacle, when the sun, moon and Earth align, briefly bringing parts of the planet into darkness.Totality — when the moon completely covers the sun’s light — is expected to last less than 2 1/2 minutes, reaching its maximum duration off Iceland’s west coast. By the time it gets to a small patch of Portugal and then to Spain just before sunset, totality will have dwindled to a minute or so.

The spectacle will then end over the Mediterranean.Against the backdrop of scorching summer temperatures and wildfires, Spanish officials have rolled out a large public safety campaign.The eclipse could draw at least an additional half a million visitors, authorities say. Demand for hotel rooms along the path of totality, including in the northern cities of A Coruña, Bilbao and Santiago de Compostela, has soared.In Medinaceli, a Roman-era hilltop town in northeast Spain, sky watchers secured grassy viewing points several hours early.“It must be thrilling to see the darkness come suddenly and the image of the sun disappearing,” said Agatha Bak, a 40-year-old philosophy professor who left Madrid for the town at sunrise with a group of friends.Rural areas prepare for an influx of visitorsSpain’s Interior Ministry said 350 official viewing sites have been set up across the sparsely populated interior, often referred to as “Empty Spain.” Authorities have limited or restricted access to another 123 sites because of environmental conditions or obstacles that could hinder an evacuation in the event of a wildfire.Only weeks ago, the most destructive wildfire in Spanish history devoured 500 square kilometers (193 square miles) and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in Ávila, in central Spain. Several smaller wildfires remain active elsewhere in southern and central parts of the country.More than 33,500 law enforcement officers will be deployed to observation areas and access points, the ministry said.“High temperatures, the accumulated dryness of vegetation…