Three wildfires devour thousands of acres of woods in Spain

The fires broke out near the villages of Baldomar, Corbera d'Ebre, and Castellar Ribera on Wednesday, according to the regional fire department.

Spain has been experiencing blistering temperatures since late last week, the earliest summer heat wave since 1981.
 

Spain's burned area was 34 per cent smaller as of June 5, compared to the same period in 2021, and the lowest since 2018. However, since last week, a mix of hot weather, wind, and thunderstorms has started a number of wildfires around the country.

Hundreds of firefighters, together with a hundred trucks and a dozen planes, were on the ground battling the blazes.

The most dangerous blaze, near Baldomar in Catalonia, has already devastated 500 hectares of woodland, but the administration in the northern province has warned that it might spread to nearly 20,000.

Although no one has been evacuated, the Catalan government has closed off many residential areas as a safety precaution.

Temperatures in Lerida province, where Baldomar is located, reached 41 degrees Celsius on Thursday.

Temperatures of over 40°C are also expected in Badajoz, in the southwest, and Zaragoza, in the northeast, according to the Spanish meteorological authority AEMET.

Two further wildfires raged in Catalonia on Thursday morning, in the provinces of Lerida and Tarragona, destroying roughly 300 hectares, according to Catalan authorities.

Another fire is blazing in Zamora, central Spain's Sierra de la Culebra highlands. The country has been struck by a six-day heat wave, which is unusual for this time of year in Spain.