Casualties as forest fires burn in Spain, Portugal, Morocco

Spain and neighbouring Portugal are fighting large wildfires, while three firefighters have been killed and two others seriously injured in a forest fire in Morocco.

Some 300 firefighters spent a difficult night battling a huge wildfire in southeastern Spain which has burnt through nearly 10,000 hectares in an area notoriously difficult to access, officials said on Tuesday.

"Three people suffered bad burn injuries," the regional health authorities said, adding one had to be evacuated by helicopter to the hospital. More than eight others were lightly injured.

"At the moment, we are talking about more than 9,500 hectares burnt with a perimeter of 65 kilometres," regional president Ximo Puig said late on Monday, describing the blaze as "absolutely huge".

"It's a very complicated situation... The fire is creating enormous difficulties that are absolutely impossible to tackle with the speed we would like."

Further north, firefighters in the Aragon region were battling another major blaze that broke out Saturday and has burnt more than 6,000 hectares of land, forcing at least 1,500 people from their homes.

Meanwhile, a huge wildfire in central Portugal that raged for a week in a UNESCO-designated natural park and was finally brought under control on Friday night flared up again on Tuesday, the civil protection authority said.

More than 1,200 firefighters had been drafted in to tackle the blaze, which has already consumed some 15,000 hectares and was "burning fiercely" with the flames whipped up by strong winds, the authority said.

READ MORE: Europe's wildfire threat recedes as temperatures drop

Forest fire in Morocco

In North Africa, three firefighters died and two others were seriously injured in a forest fire in northern Morocco that was suspected to have been started deliberately, authorities said.

The firefighters were in a vehicle that plunged into a ravine while they were battling the blaze in M'diq-Fnideq province late on Monday, the authorities told the AFP news agency.

Four men suspected of starting the fire were arrested, they said.

Firefighting services, including Canadair water bombers, were being used on Tuesday to try to bring the flames under control and prevent them from spreading to populated areas.

The fire has so far destroyed about 120 hectares of forest land, according to the latest estimates.

Spain, Portugal, and Morocco have all been gripped by scorching temperatures, intense drought and stress on water supplies.

Wildfires so far this year have claimed 271,020 hectares of land in Spain, 84,827 hectares in Portugal, and more than 10,000 hectares in northern Morocco.

READ MORE: Portugal reports 1,000 deaths due to ongoing heatwave

READ MORE: Portugal, Spain, France fight blazes as heatwave sweeps Europe's west