BARCELONA: A wildfire raging in Spain’s northeastern region of Catalonia on Monday destroyed over 3,000 acres of land and forced the evacuation of some 800 people, local officials said.

The fire, which broke out on Sunday near the town of Odena some 70 kilometres west of Barcelona, was still out of control but authorities said weaker winds and rising humidity were helping slow its advance.

The blaze was started accidentally by a 59-year-old farmer when he was using a straw-chopping machine, the regional government of Catalonia said in a statement.

The man voluntarily turned himself to police station on Monday and was charged. The wildfire has burned a total of 1,235 hectares of land as of 1:30pm, the statement said.

Local officials on Sunday evacuated two residential complexes, several restaurants and an animal refuge.

Around 800 people were evacuated and 124 spent the night in sports complexes, local firefighters said.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2015

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