Wildfires have forced more than 1,400 people to leave their homes in Western Spain. Hundreds of firefighters are battling flames fanned by strong
Wildfires have forced more than 1,400 people to leave their homes in Western Spain.
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Hundreds of firefighters are battling flames fanned by strong winds here in Extremadura.
Breaking: Fires in Spain as Europe heat soars – http://t.co/i084emD99n | search http://t.co/iGWs5dNgWs pic.twitter.com/mIaz9rcoBo
— Yoolanda News (@yoolandanews) 7 Août 2015
Local police say more than 5,000 hectares of land have been laid waste.
It is a perfect storm of exceptionally dry conditions, high temperatures and strong winds.
One man told reporters;“The fire seemed to be under control at first, but at around 3am there were strong, gusty winds and we had to evacuate the town.”
RT this map showing areas of #Spain most at risk from forest fires. Call 112 if you see one.
InfoEmerg</a>: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IIFF?src=hash">#IIFF</a> 2014: <a href="http://t.co/BKSJkhZJ1N">pic.twitter.com/BKSJkhZJ1N</a></p>— BritsvisitingSpain (BritsvisitSpain) 21 Août 2014
Towns and campsites have been abandoned as planes and helicopters tackle the wildfires in the Sierra de Gata mountains.
3000 hectares of forest and scrub have also been destroyed in the south-east of the country.