Spanish firefighters on alert after huge wildfire tamed

A firefighter from the Unidad Militar de Emergencias (UME) tackles a forest fire near Artazu, Navarre province, Spain, June 19, 2022. REUTERS/Vincent West TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

OTERO DE BODAS, Spain (Reuters) - Emergency planes dumped water over part of rural western Spain on Monday to prevent flames reigniting from a huge wildfire that had ravaged about 30,000 hectares of land during a heatwave, the region's environmental service said.

The fire, which broke out last week during the country's worst mid-June heatwave in over 40 years, would be the largest in terms of surface area damage over the past two decades if estimates are confirmed, according to Environment Ministry data.