RAGING wildfires are reportedly out of control in Spain – with thousands evacuated and 500 troops deployed across holiday hotspots.
Terrifying infernos spread across Galicia, Extremadura, Castilla and León, and Asturias – sparking alarming high-level alerts across the regions.
ReutersSmoke rises as a wildfire rages near Ourense, Galicia, one of the worst-hit areas[/caption]
AFPFires raging in Castrillo de Cabrera, in Castile and León[/caption]
AFPThe fires sparked mass evacuations[/caption]
AFPOver 500 troops have been deployed to aid evacuation efforts[/caption]
In Galicia, the fires burned over 50,000 hectares of land – the most ever burned during a wildfire in the region.
The majority of the flames here ripped through the city of Ourense, wreaking havoc on locals and tourists alike.
It was reported that 13 of the fires there are currently active as of Sunday evening, but several could become active again.
In Castilla and León, there were reportedly 27 active forest fires on Sunday.
Over 3,500 residents were forced out of their homes in the provinces of León, Zamora, Salamanca, and Palencia.
There are a total of 21 active forest fires in the province of León – seven of which are category 2 and four of which are level 1.
The wildfires are evolving irregularly, and all of them are being closely monitored for possible re-ignitions.
A spokesperson for the regional government in León, Eduardo Diego, said the evacuation of the town of Castropetre had been agreed upon due to the Gestoso fire.
This blaze reportedly spread from Ourense and has a very active front towards León.
Meanwhile, the Jarilla fire tearing through Cáceres, in the heart of Extremadura, is “completely out of control”, the president of the regional government María Guardiola said.
This fire has already spread to the Port of Honduras and is only 7km from the provincial border of Salamanca.
Castile and León has therefore been warned that the fire could enter its territory.
In six days, the blaze has devastated 9,000 hectares of land.
It sparked a mass evacuations in Gargantilla as well as a lockdown in Hervás on Sunday.
The area is said to be very difficult to access, and 17 teams are currently working there.
On top of this, Molina Ferrera was confined due to the Yeres/Llamas de Cabrera fire.
APA man battles a wildfire in Veiga das Meas, northwestern Spain[/caption]
AFPPeople fight a wildfire in the village of Vilarino, in the Carballeda de Avia municipality[/caption]
AFPLocals have been forced to flee their homes[/caption]
A total of 12 towns have been evacuated due to this blaze, with 681 residents out of their homes.
It comes as hundreds of dangerous and deadly wildfires have plagued Europe in recent weeks with dozens of holiday hotspots left ravaged.
On Saturday, terrifying footage emerged showing the horrifying moment a fire tornado violently erupted in Portugal, killing a mayor in its blaze.
Portugal’s northern region of Aguiar de Beira was left burned on Friday as a fire tornado cascaded through the area.
This rare phenomenon is formed in intense heat when the air surrounding a fire begins to rotate into a vortex.
Portugal, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Italy and Bulgaria are all still reeling from the deadly fires that have sprung up this summer.
Brits have been put on high alert over wildfires tearing through the popular holiday island of Tenerife in Spain.
Just a couple weeks ago, a fire sparked in the north and continued to spread towards busy resorts in Santiago del Teide.
Locals were ordered to evacuate the area and the island was put on red alert for the high risk of forest fires.
ReutersA plane makes a water drop, as a wildfire rages on Castle of Monterrei, in Ourense province, Galicia[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
