Spain wildfire forces rescue of medieval kings' bones

A wildfire in northeastern Spain has prompted emergency crews to remove the bones of medieval kings and other historic treasures from the San Juan de la Pena monasteries in Aragon.

The blaze broke out earlier in the week and on Thursday threatened the two monasteries, a regional symbol in rugged mountain terrain. The older monastery has origins in the 10th century, is linked by legend to the Holy Grail and holds the remains of the first kings of the medieval kingdom of Aragon.

Spain's military emergencies unit released footage of officers removing items on Thursday, including transparent boxes of skulls and bones, artwork and a chalice, as flames burned on nearby hills.

"At the last minute, we were able to rescue assets with an extraordinary historical value for this region and for all of Spain," UME chief Javier Marcos told reporters. He said personnel were still defending both monasteries and that he was not confident about how the fire would develop.

Regional authorities said more than 10,000 hectares had been affected and about 850 people evacuated from small settlements and villages. Aragon's leader Jorge Azcon did not rule out more evacuations and said three firefighting aircraft could arrive from France to reinforce about 500 officers already working on the blaze.

The heritage site is near one of the Saint James pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela and attracts about 100,000 visitors a year.

Aragon was under the second-highest orange heat warning on Friday, with temperatures of up to 37C in the area of the fire.