Spain battles forest fire a short drive from flash flood

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.

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.