A wildfire in the province of Zaragoza, in Spain's northeastern autonomous region of Aragon, has destroyed more than 12,000 hectares and remains out of control, making it the country's largest blaze of the year. The fire, which broke out on Wednesday and has a perimeter of some 60 kilometres, has encircled the town of Uncastillo, prompted the evacuation of six villages totalling around 1,100 residents, and is being fought by more than 450 firefighters backed by record levels of aerial support. Regional president Jorge Azcón warned that shifting winds make the situation "extremely dangerous" and could accelerate the fire's spread, while a separate blaze near La Mierla in Guadalajara province — about 100 kilometres north of Madrid — has already consumed 2,000 hectares of the protected Sierra Norte de Guadalajara nature park at a rate of 50 hectares per hour.