JAKARTA - Spanish authorities ordered more than 18,000 residents of Tarragona province to stay indoors on Tuesday.
Dozens of people were also evacuated as forest fires flared out of control, spending nearly 3,000 hectares of vegetation.
Most of Spain is on high alert for forest fires after the country experienced the hottest June it has ever recorded.
Two people died in a forest fire on July 1 in the Catalonia region where Tarragona is located.
The latest fire broke out on Monday morning in a remote area near the village of Pauls, strong winds and steep terrain hampered fire fighting efforts.
An emergency military unit was deployed on Tuesday morning along with more than 300 firefighters working in the area.
"Since midnight, firefighters have been battling the blaze with gusts of wind up to 90 kilometers per hour (56 miles per hour)," the Catalonia regional fire service said.
Throughout the night, fire engines raced on a winding road in the Pauls Mountains, surrounded by fire, as officers tried to control the fire.
In the villages of Xerta and Aldover neighbors, residents could not sleep overnight because the fire threatened their homes.
"(There was) a lot of fear and crying because we were already on the edge of the fire. Last night, because of the strong winds and smoke, we couldn't leave the house. It's terrible, this hasn't happened before," 76-year-old Rosa Veleda told Reuters.
Authorities say they have prevented the fire from spreading into the Ebro River, which would worsen the situation.
About 30% of the affected areas are inside the Ports National Park, and officials are investigating the origin of the fire.
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