Spain is battling three active wildfires, while a fourth has already been extinguished on Friday, amid extreme heat, strong winds and low humidity.
The most serious blaze is in the Cinco Villas district in the province of Zaragoza, where it has become the country's largest wildfire of the year after burning 12,000 hectares.
The fire, which broke out on Wednesday, remains "fairly active" and spread significantly overnight into Friday, according to authorities. Its perimeter has reached 60 kilometres, forcing the evacuation of six villages: Orés, Asín, Luesia, Malpica de Arba and Uncastillo in Zaragoza, and Petilla de Aragón in neighbouring Navarra. More than 1,100 people have been affected.
The blaze is mainly affecting Cerro de Cinco Villas, a pine forest area with a relay antenna, near the housing developments of Los Robles and San Lorenzo. The local council opened the municipal sports centre as a shelter, and the Military Emergency Unit (UME) deployed support units.
The Civil Guard arrested a man on Thursday on suspicion of having started the fire. Several residents alerted the authorities after seeing a person fleeing the area under suspicious circumstances.
