Forest fire and flash floods strike eastern Spain

A forest fire in eastern Spain sparked the evacuation of around 1,000 people on Saturday, authorities said.

The blaze is one of hundreds that firefighters across Europe have been battling this summer amid record high temperatures along the Mediterranean and elsewhere.

Barely 150 kilometers (93 miles) away on the Costa Dorada, flash floods trapped people in cars, toppled walls and forced the evacuation of a campsite.

What do we know about the fire?

The fire is burning close to Gatova, an inland village with a population of 450, northwest of Valencia.

TV footage showed the flames were moving close to built-up areas.

Spain's Military Emergency Unit UME posted a video to X showing its firefighters working in the darkness to douse the flames.

Several firefighting helicopters and aircraft were also deployed.

Local media reported that the blaze is thought to have been started by a lightning strike late Thursday.

By Friday evening, more than 400 hectares of land had been burnt.

Juan Carlos Valderrama, Valencia autonomous community's civil protection minister, said buses were on standby to help residents without their own vehicles to leave their homes.

What's the latest on the floods?

Further north, along Spain's Costa Dorada, heavy rain overnight flooded streets and caused the collapse of two walls, injuring at least seven people, officials said.

According to local media, roads in the coastal towns El Vendrell, Coma-ruga and Torredembarra in the Catalonia region were partially submerged.

The Meteorological Service of Catalonia said several towns recorded nearly 200 liters per square meter in just a few hours.

On Saturday morning, the agency warned of more heavy rainfall for the coastal region.

Local media reported that several people got trapped in their vehicles during the flooding.

A regional emergency official said firefighters had carried out more than 200 missions to rescue people from vehicles and flooded buildings.

Three people were injured when a wall collapsed at the port of Roda de Bera, about 75 kilometers (45 miles) southwest of Barcelona, emergency services said.

Another wall collapse at a nearby campsite injured two others.

Around 300 people staying at the campsite were evacuated, with many sheltering at a nearby sports center, officials said.