Madrid, 25 March 2023 (dpa/MIA) – The first major wildfire in Spain this year has devastated almost 4,000 hectares in the east of the country and forced the evacuation of around 1,500 people, state television RTVE reported on Friday.

The evacuations took place on Thursday and Friday, the broadcaster said, citing officials.

More than 10 localities in the provinces of Castellón and Teruel were affected. Power was cut in some areas and at least three roads closed off by the authorities.

By Friday afternoon, more than 3,800 hectares of forest had been destroyed - the equivalent of about 5,500 football pitches - according to official figures.

The fire also raised concerns in Brussels. On the sidelines of the EU summit, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the first major fire of the year had broken out before the actual fire season.

The central government in Madrid would provide funds to extinguish the flames and restore the affected area, he added.

"We were told to leave as quickly as possible. We grabbed pyjamas and that was that," an elderly woman told RTVE.

"We are all very concerned," said Miguel Sandalinas, the mayor of Montanejos, a town of about 550 people that was affected by the evacuations.

The AEMET state weather service reported that firefighting was being hampered by high winds, low humidity levels and relatively high temperatures for the time of year of above 20 degrees Celsius.

Spain's fire services and military emergency unit, the UME, deployed 20 helicopters and firefighting planes.

Last year, the country experienced its worst wildfire year since records began. The European Union's Copernicus Earth monitoring programme recorded 493 wildfires. More than 3,000 square kilometres were destroyed.

Photo: Spanish Forest Fire Service