Firefighters struggle to control Spanish wildfire

STORY: Hundreds of firefighters were on the ground battling the blazes with 120 trucks and 21 aircraft to fight the flames.

Members of the emergency military unit joined the efforts to tackle the advance of the fire in Baldomar where flames threatened 20,000 hectares of woods and farmland.

A total of more than 1,600 hectares of pines and bushes have burned in the area so far.

Large swathes of the country face high or extreme risk of wildfire, the state meteorological agency AEMET said.

As of June 5, the area burned in Spain was 34% smaller than the same period in 2021 and the lowest since 2018. However, since last week the combination of hot weather, wind and thunderstorms has sparked wildfires around the nation.

Scorching sun has hit Spain since late last week, in what is the earliest heatwave since 1981, with temperatures surpassing 40 Celsius (104 F) in many parts of the country.