Firefighters are battling more than 120 forest fires in northern Spain, some of which may have been started deliberately.
The regions of Cantabria, Asturias and the Basque Country are worst affected, with high winds spreading the flames.
Spain’s forestry association said the unusually high temperatures did not explain the origin of the fires.
Association head Raul de la Calle suggested “cattle farming interests” could be responsible.
He said some people believed the fires would make the pasture more “appetising” to the animals, El Mundo reported.
More than 80 fires are currently burning in Cantabria, where 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) of land of “very high ecological value” have been destroyed, regional president Miguel Angel Revilla said.
However none of those fires are currently threatening inhabited areas, he added.
About 100 soldiers have been sent to the region.
In Asturias there are 38 fires, of which 31 have been contained.
Spain’s interior ministry has warned of continuing high winds in the north.
