Hundreds evacuated as wildfire burns in Spain

by IANS |

Madrid, Nov 4 (IANS) The forest fire in Montitxelvo town of eastern Spain's Valencian Community has continued to spready, forcing the evacuation of more than 900 people from three nearby municipalities.

So far, the out-of-control fire burnt through some 2,000 hectares of forest, President of the Generalitat Valenciana Carlos Mazon Guixot said at the Advanced Command Post on Friday.

Winds in the fire zone have reached 70 km/h, hindering the take-off and operation of water-carrying planes and helicopters, reports Xinhua news agency.

Mazon said the origin of the fire is still unknown.

He was confident that the evacuations had been carried out without health incidents or other problems.

Currently, no further evacuations are planned, but this may change as the evolution of the fire is being assessed.