Wildfire forces hundreds to evacuate in eastern Spain.

A major wildfire in eastern Spain has destroyed over 7,413 acres of forest and forced 1,500 residents to evacuate their homes. The unusually dry winter across parts of southern Europe has raised fears of a repeat of 2022, when over 1.9 million acres were destroyed in Europe. Spain experienced a record 758,613 acres of land destroyed by 493 fires last year. Emergency services evacuated eight communities, and firefighters are working to control the blaze. The long-term drought in Spain after three years of below-average rainfall has increased the risk of wildfires, and the lack of rain and warmer-than-normal temperatures during the winter has raised drought warnings for southern Spain, France, Ireland, Britain, northern Italy, Greece, and parts of eastern Europe.