The Defence ministry has deployed a further 107 members of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) to fight a forest fire in Zaragoza province that has already destroyed around 2,200 hectares (5,436 acres), and which has still not been fully brought under control owing to the tinder dry conditions, elevated temperatures and strong gusting winds.

They join around 300 other fire-fighters who are being supported from the air by around twenty hydroplanes and helicopters and more than twenty land-based fire appliances.

Their efforts are being focused on the northeast permieter of the fire most threatened by the prevailing winds.

The fire started last Tuesday lunchtime when a car burst into flames after colliding with a tree on the A-1102 not far from Castejón de Valdejasa, a small village within the municipal boundary of Zuera, some 25km from Zaragoza.

Car smash blamed for Castejón blaze
By: thinkSPAIN
Wednesday, August 6, 2008

A forest fire that has destroyed more than 1,500 hectares (3,706 acres) of pine forest and mountain scrub on the outskirts of Zuera (Zaragoza) appears to have been caused by a traffic accident yesterday afternoon.

The two occupants of a car that crashed into a tree on the Villanueva de Gállego-Castejón de Valdejasa stretch of the A-1102 at around 2.30pm, were unhurt.

As a result of the ensuing fire and thick smoke, all the 300 residents of nearby Castejón de Valdejasa had to be evacuated from their homes yesterday evening though they were allowed to return by midnight.

The tinderbox conditions combined with yesterday's strong winds meant that the flames spread rapidly initially though last night's fortuitous thunderstorm has left fire-fighters hoping that the blaze can be fully extinguished sometime this morning.