Wildfire erupts again in Spain – two villages evacuated

A large wildfire that has been raging in the Mena valley in northern Spain has forced the evacuation of two villages since Sunday, the El País newspaper reported on Monday, citing the local authorities.
The fire in the west of the Basque Country and the north of Burgos Province erupted on Sunday after a break of several weeks in the fires that hit Spain through the summer. More than 500 hectares have been destroyed.
Around 100 residents of the villages of Antuñano and Bortedo almost 400 kilometres to the north of Madrid have been evacuated, the report said. No injuries have been reported thus far. Three farms, two houses and a fire engine have been destroyed.
The flames are being fanned by winds of up to 100 kilometres per hour, which kept firefighting planes and helicopters grounded at times on Sunday and Monday.
Spain experienced one of its worst years for wildfires this year, with blazes erupting repeatedly between June and September.
According to the European Union's Copernicus Earth Observation Programme, 435 fires have destroyed more than 300,000 hectares in Spain so far this year.