More than 1,350 residents have been evacuated in Spain's northeastern region of Aragon as a wildfire spreads through a pine forest amid a lingering heat wave, a local official said today.
Five villages were evacuated as flames devoured hills that are 375 kilometers (230 miles) northeast of Madrid, said Javier Lamban, the president of Aragon. The evacuees, who included residents of a retirement home, were transferred to nearby towns.
Some 500 firefighters and 26 aircraft were fighting the flames today, which were being fanned by windy conditions and were creating a large plume of smoke.
The fire, which broke out yesterday afternoon, has already burned more than 2,500 hectares (6,180 acres) of forest in a remote area, according to Ministry of Agriculture and Environment spokesman Modesto Lobon.
In Portugal, the National Civil Protection Authority said almost 100 firefighters were tackling a wildfire that broke out last night in the forests of Alcobertas, north of Lisbon.
