The fight against the first major forest fire of the year continues in Spain. In the fire that started two days ago in the village of Villanueva de Viver, in the city of Valencia in the east of the country, 20 planes and helicopters and more than 500 firefighters are struggling to control the flames.
While more than 4 thousand hectares of land have been ash in the fire so far, 1,500 people living in 8 villages and towns have been evacuated from their homes.
Spain has been experiencing a prolonged drought for three years with below-average rainfall. According to the European Forest Fires Information System (EFFIS), 493 fires broke out in the country last year, while 307 thousand hectares of land were damaged.