A wind-fuelled wildfire is raging in eastern Spain and hundreds of people have been evacuated, local authorities said.

About 200 firefighters backed by three water bombing planes are battling the blaze.

It erupted yesterday near the village of Montichelvo in the coastal region of Valencia, emergency services said.

The blaze has forced the evacuation of between 800 and 850 people and has affected up to 1,400 hectares (3,500 acres), it added.

Wind gusts of up to 120km/h are hampering efforts to battle the blaze, officials said.

The regional government of Valencia advised people to stay home and avoid areas with trees and construction sites if they had to go outside.

Spain was lashed by strong winds yesterday as Storm Ciarán battered Western Europe, causing at least ten deaths, including that of a 23-year-old woman who was struck by a tree that toppled in Madrid.