First major fire of year destroys 3,000 hectares in Spain

A helicopter drops water on a wildfire in San Agustin, Spain, March 24, 2023. REUTERS/Lorena Sopena

VILLANUEVA DE VIVER, Spain (Reuters) -Spain's first major wildfire of the year raged in the eastern Valencia region on Friday, destroying more than 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) of forest and forcing 1,500 residents to abandon their homes, authorities said.

An unusually dry winter across parts of the south of the European continent has reduced moisture in the soil and raised fears of a repeat of 2022, when 785,000 hectares were destroyed in Europe - more than double the annual average for the past 16 years, according to European Commission (EC) statistics.