Wildfire in southern Spain forces evacuation of 70 residents

MADRID (AP) — Spanish authorities say they evacuated 70 people from their homes to ensure their safety as a wildfire burned unchecked in southern Andalusia. Emergency services for fighting wildfires in the Andalusia region said heavy winds fanned flames that broke out in Tarifa near the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula. The residents were evacuated from the settlement called El Chaparral on Thursday as a precaution. Spain led Europe in land burned last year during a record hot 2022. A prolonged drought has authorities concerned that the wildfire season is starting earlier than usual after the country endured its first major fires of the year in March.