Hundreds are evacuated as tinderbox Spain tackles wildfires

By JENNIFER O’MAHONY

MADRID (AP) — At least 800 people in Spain have been evacuated as forest fires were burning in two regions. Extremely dry conditions were worsening the fire risks during the hottest weekend of the year so far. Two planes, a helicopter and 200 firefighters were dispatched to the province of Ávila in central Spain to tackle two separate fires there, according to Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit said. The private Europe Press agency reported more than 500 people were taken to a sports facility to shelter from the blaze as it decimated 5,000 hectares (12,400 acres) of forest. In Spain’s eastern Valencia region, an electrical storm triggered a fire that forced the evacuation of Azuébar, a village of 300 people.