Spain containing wildfire as high wind speeds ease

The Spanish authorities said on Saturday that firefighters and soldiers were managing to contain a blaze in the country's west that has forced hundreds of people to evacuate from nearby villages.

"Today, we're hoping to strike a blow against this fire... It's a very intense task," said civil protection coordinator Nieves Villar, adding that conditions were improving as the high wind speeds of recent days dropped back.

Despite that improvement, she said, the authorities were "still far from saying this fire is under control", with winds expected to calm only on Sunday, when there was the possibility of light rain.

The local authorities have blamed arson for the wildfire that broke out on Wednesday near the village of Pinofranqueado in the sparsely populated region of Extremadura bordering Portugal.

The flames have ravaged about 3,500ha of forest and scrubland and forced the evacuation of around 700 people from several villages, the regional government said.