Forest fires in Spain regions trigger evacuations

At least 800 people in Spain were evacuated from their homes as forest fires blazed in two regions on Sunday, with extremely dry conditions worsening the risk of more fires during the hottest weekend of the year so far.

Two planes and a helicopter were dispatched to the province of Ávila, central Spain, to tackle two separate fires there, Spain's Military Emergencies Unit said in a tweet, along with almost 200 firefighters.

Relative humidity fell as low as 8% in Ávila, according to data from Spain's State Meteorological Agency, leading to tinderbox conditions.

Images released by firefighters in the region showed planes dumping water onto blazing agricultural buildings,.

Meanwhile in Spain's eastern Valencia region, an electrical storm triggered a fire that forced the evacuation of Azuébar, a village of 300 people, according to the local government in Castellón.

The military emergency unit sent two helicopters and a plane to tackle the blaze.

IMAGE: AP