Easing conditions are helping firefighters in Australia's north-east Victoria but strong winds in Spain are hindering efforts to keep dozens of forest fires from spreading.
A firefighter battles a wild fire in Carrio, northwest Spain. Photo: AFP
Spanish emergency services said more than 100 fires were burning in the Asturias region alone, despite rain overnight in some areas.
Television pictures showed several rural houses destroyed by fire, and some residents had been told to leave their houses as a precaution.
Fires have also been reported in neighbouring Cantabria, also on Spain's northern coast, and close to the city of San Sebastian, in the Basque Country.
Rain in Victoria
In Australia, rain is falling in Victoria's north east, allowing fire crews to slow the spread of the blaze.
The temperature has also dropped and the speed of the fire has slowed but storms are creating erratic conditions that are hampering the firefighting efforts.
Emergency warnings are in place for Leneva and Leneva West, as well as for Yackandandah, Wooragee and Indigo Upper.
The emergency warning for Barnawartha, Barnawartha North and Indigo Valley has been downgraded to a watch and act.
Firefighters work to contain a bushfire near Scotsburn, South of Ballarat in Victoria, Sunday, Dec 20. Photo: AAP
The fire has burned 5400ha and authorities say a Scotsburn fire claimed six houses, with two more damaged.
Weather Bureau spokesman Richard Carlyon said conditions were expected to improve.
"We'll see conditions replaced by more settled west to south-westerly winds. Conditions have definitely cooled off and the bulk of that rain will clear through over the next hour or two," he said.
"So I think some useful rainfall totals there, probably helpful but some strong and erratic winds still causing dangerous conditions."
Eastern flank problems
Country Fire Authority (CFA) officials said the head of the fire has been stopped but the eastern flank of the fire was causing problems.
Incident controller Graham Healy said a tongue of fire was getting closer to Leneva and all aircraft in the area were being sent to try and cut off the fire.
"We're going to divert some aircraft that we've got left to try and attack that tongue of the fire that's broken out and generally hit it as hard as we can with the resources we've got.
"We keep requesting more and more resources, we keep getting more and more resources but whatever we're getting doesn't seem to be enough at the moment.
"The flank of the fire is going to cause us some trouble in the Wodonga [area]."
About 26,000 people were without power at one stage today, but power company AusNet said that number is now down to around 12,000.
Reinforcements from New South Wales, including 20 fire trucks, will be deployed to the fire overnight.
An advice message remains current for the fire at Wandin North, Seville, Wandin East and Silvan which is now under control.
- Reuters, BBC
