Two large wildfires kept Spanish emergency services stretched on Friday, with a particular threat to popular tourist areas in the south-western province of Huelva.
The flames by the small town of Niebla, 60 kilometres northwest of Seville, have already engulfed 31,000 hectares, according to the regional government of Andalusia.
However, the situation has improved, said regional vice president Antonio Sanz.
A large part of the fire front is now under control and there is no longer an immediate threat to towns and villages, Sanz told a press briefing.
In contrast, the situation has worsened near Las Peñas de Riglos in Spain’s northeastern Aragon region. Following the reignition of several fires, four more villages with a total of 127 inhabitants were evacuated overnight.
This brought the number of people forced to leave their homes to around 1,000. According to authorities, the fire has already consumed around 10,000 hectares of forest and scrubland in the province of Huesca.
Locations endangered by the advancing flames included the historic monastery of San Juan de la Peña, where staff moved valuable artworks and royal tombs to safety as a precaution.
A 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arson, with initial investigations pointing to a rural storage site for building materials as the likely origin of the blaze.
Spain is experiencing an exceptionally severe wildfire season. According to the Environment Ministry, at least 226,000 hectares of vegetation have been destroyed since the start of the year – around 38% more than in the same period last year.
A total of 40 forest and vegetation fires were active nationwide on Friday, the Incendios Forestales forest fire tracking portal reported.