Sky ignites and floods northern Spain

The area affected by wildfires in Spain’s Valencia region has expanded, while a nearby area to the north experienced flooding due to heavy rainfall.

Authorities were forced to evacuate approximately 1,000 people from their homes in the town of Gatova as flames spread toward the settlement. Juan Carlos Fadrina, the minister for civil protection in the autonomous Valencian Community, told journalists, in a statement reported by The Associated Press today, that buses had been provided to transport residents who do not have private vehicles.

Lightning is believed to have sparked the fire late Thursday evening. The local minister stated that the blaze has not yet been brought under control, noting that by Friday evening, the fires had consumed more than 400 hectares.

Spain’s public broadcaster, RTVE, reported that Gatova’s usual population is around 450, but this number doubles during the summer months due to tourists. Television footage showed flames already approaching inhabited areas.

Meanwhile, in the Costa Daurada, or “Golden Coast,” region to the north, three people were injured, one seriously, after a wall collapsed in the town of Roda de Berà near Tarragona due to heavy rain, according to fire crews. In the Catalan region, rainfall rates reached 200 liters per square meter over a few hours in the early hours of today.