Spain wildfire: 800 evacuated, crews airlifted

A wildfire in Spain's southwestern province of Huelva has forced around 800 people to evacuate, while firefighting personnel have been airlifted to safety after becoming trapped or facing serious danger, regional emergency minister Antonio Sanz said.

More than 600 firefighters, backed by 26 water-dropping aircraft, were battling the blaze on Monday. The fire broke out on Thursday in Andalusia and has been made harder to control by shifting winds, difficult terrain and intense heat.

Sanz said heat was generating powerful upward currents of hot air and smoke, known as convective activity, which can carry burning embers high into the air and start new fires several kilometres away. He warned that the fire would not be contained any time soon.

Officials ordered the evacuation of El Madrono, a municipality with around 300 residents, bringing the total number of evacuees to about 800.

More than 20,000 hectares of land are currently enclosed by the fire line, authorities said, while stressing that this does not mean all of that area has burned.

Eva Maria Velez, a 49-year-old school director at a shelter in Zalamea la Real, said people there were tired, distressed and facing uncertainty.

Spain has faced a difficult summer for wildfires, with about three dozen blazes forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate, especially in the centre of the country. A July fire in the Avila region near Madrid affected about 50,000 hectares and was considered the biggest Spain had seen in recent history. Another large blaze in Almeria province in Andalusia caused 14 deaths early in July.

Europe has suffered repeated heatwaves and droughts this year, which scientists say have been aggravated by human-generated climate change.