Fierce wildfire in Spain forces 1,500 residents to evacuate homes

Wildfires raged around the town of Anon de Moncayo in the province of Zaragoza, northeastern Spain on Sunday, threatening homes and forcing the evacuation of at least 1,500 local residents.

The fire, which started on Saturday and has been fanned by strong winds, has already burned 8,000 hectares (19,800 acres) in less than 24 hours according to preliminary data, Aragon’s regional president Javier Lambán told the media on Sunday.

Around 300 firefighters, including 187 military reinforcements, were trying to bring the fire under control on Sunday.

“We are still in a really critical situation with the fire around Moncayo. During the night, the behaviour of the fire was very virulent,” said the region’s general director of Natural Environment and Forestry Management, Diego Bayona.