Hundreds of civilian and military firefighters are tackling a wildfire in south-west Spain that has burned across at least 7,500 hectares (18,500 acres) of land and forced the evacuation of more than 500 people since it began on Wednesday evening. Efforts to fight the “very large and difficult” fire in the Las Hurdes and Sierra de Gata areas of northern Extremadura are being hindered by strong winds, according to the regional government, which says the blaze was started deliberately. People in three villages – Cadalso, Descargamaría and Robledillo de Gata – have been evacuated and three main roads closed. The regional government said more than 500 firefighters, including members of the military emergencies unit, had been deployed and were using 10 earthmovers, six planes, eight helicopters, and 23 road vehicles to try to bring the fire under control.