Authorities in Spain's Valencian region ordered the evacuation of Gátova on Friday as a wildfire burned through the Sierra Calderona natural park, prompted by a lightning strike late Thursday. The village, which normally has about 450 residents but sees its population double in summer, lies between Gátova and Segorbe in the province of Castellón.
The Military Emergency Unit, firefighting brigades and helicopters were mobilised to battle the blaze. Level 1 of the regional wildfire plan was activated around 9:30 p.m. Thursday, and the CV-25 road between Altura and Olocau was closed in both directions. State meteorological records showed the nearest lightning bolt struck at 8:06 p.m. with an intensity exceeding 37.6 kiloamperes, while rainfall in Segorbe measured just 0.2 litres per square metre.
More than 297,000 hectares have been destroyed in 425 wildfires across Spain this year.