More than 1,500 people have been evacuated as a major forest fire rages in Spain’s eastern Castellon province.
It marks an early start to the nation’s fire season amid bone dry conditions.
Local officials said the fire has engulfed about 3,000 hectares of land since it broke out on Thursday, forcing residents from their homes and into shelters operated by the Red Cross and other charities.
The latest advice from the UK Foreign Office states: "During the summer months, there is a heightened risk of forest fires due to exceptionally high temperatures in Spain." It adds: "Forest fires occur frequently in Spain (including Spanish islands) during the summer months, when temperatures regularly reach over 40ºC. Take care when visiting or driving through woodland areas."
They add: "Causing a forest fire is considered a criminal offence in Spain even if unintentional. Make sure cigarette ends are properly extinguished, don’t light barbecues and don’t leave empty bottles behind. There are strict regulations across much of Spain against lighting outdoor barbecues in forest areas and penalties imposed include heavy fines. Some regions prohibit the use of outdoor barbecues in public picnic areas during the summer months."
Ximo Puig, the president of the Valencia region that incorporates Castellon, told reporters the fire was “very early in the spring, very voracious from the beginning”.
Mr Puig said the effects of climate change “are undeniable, so the perspective of firefighting must be considered on an annual basis”.
Emergency services in the region said eight towns have been evacuated, including a home for older people in Montan.
By noon on Friday, 18 planes and helicopters and more than 600 firefighters and soldiers were tackling the fire.
The Spanish military and the nation’s ecological transition ministry deployed additional support to try to bring the flames under control.
The state weather agency, AEMET, tweeted that “unfavourable weather conditions, especially considering the early date of the year, have favoured the (fire’s) rapid spread”.
Temperatures were above 25 Celsius when the fire broke out, and relative humidity sank below 30% following an unusually dry winter in the area.
The risk of more fires in Castellon was classified as “extreme” on Friday.
Miguel Sandalinas, the mayor of one of the towns affected, said fallen trees left over from winter and the general lack of care for dried vegetation have given the fire “a lot of ammunition”.
In 2022, wildfires burned through 306,555 hectares of land in Spain, an area almost four times the size of New York City, according to European Union data.
Last year was also Spain’s hottest since records began.
Despite the extensive planning, early warning surveillance and prediction models, preparing for wildfires remains a huge challenge.
Spain officially entered a period of long-term drought at the end of last year, owing to high temperatures and low rainfall over the past three years.
Spain has warmed 1.3 degrees Celsius since the 1960s, a warming that is noticeable all year round but especially in summer, when average temperatures have risen by 1.6 degrees.
