Large parts of Spain are on high alert for wildfires after the country experienced its hottest June on record.

A fierce wildfire driven by extreme heat and wind has forced over 18,000 people into lockdown in Spain’s Tarragona province, Reuters reports. The fire, which erupted on July 7 near the village of Pauls,

Spanish authorities have ordered more than 18,000 residents in the northeastern Tarragona province to remain indoors, with several dozen evacuated, as a raging wildfire consumed nearly 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) of vegetation.

Hundreds of Spanish firefighters on Tuesday battled a forest fire stoked by fierce winds that had burned more than 3,000 hectares, with authorities ordering 18,000 residents to stay at home.

Video. A fast-moving wildfire in Catalonia has scorched more than 8,000 hectares in just 24 hours, as Europe's record-breaking heatwave continues to intensify.

Blazes break out in France, Greece, Turkiye and Syria, with several other nations on high alert over scorching weather.

Firefighters worked to prevent the blaze from entering France’s second-biggest city, where ash and smoke had spread overnight.

Wildfires in Spain and France have forced thousands into lockdown, with hundreds more evacuated, as a heatwave drove temperatures to record levels across Europe. Spanish authorities have ordered more than 18,000 people to remain indoors and dozens more were evacuated as wildfires raged across Catalonia.