MADRID, 4 Aug (BelTA - Xinhua) - Around 270 people have had to be evacuated from the town of Segura de la Sierra in southern Spanish province of Jaen due to a forest fire which broke out on Thursday afternoon, local rescue services reported.
The evacuation began shortly after people were warned of the fire early Thursday evening. A group of boy scouts were reported to be among the evacuees and many were people staying in holiday homes in the area.
Regional authorities reported that firefighting units worked through the night and were joined by five aircraft and eight helicopters on Friday morning. A total of 322 people are currently combatting the flames.
Meanwhile, a second fire has affected over 1,200 hectares close to the town of Verin in the province of Ourense in the north-west of the country.
This fire also started on Thursday afternoon and by Friday morning 400 people were combatting the flames, using 34 fire engines, 12 helicopters, and seven airplanes.
Regional authorities have confirmed that there is no danger to property. Arson is suspected.
Large areas of Spain are forecast to experience temperatures in the high 30's or even above 40 degrees Celsius in the coming days. Many provinces are on alert for the extreme fire risk.
