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Wildfires in Catalonia have put more than 18,000 people on lockdown.

The Spanish authorities ordered that more than 18,000 residents in the Tarragona Province, located in northeastern Spain, remain inside on Tuesday. Several dozen people were evacuated when a wildfire, which was out of control and consumed almost 3,000 hectares (7.413 acres) worth of vegetation, spread.

After Spain experienced the hottest June ever recorded, large parts of Spain have been placed on high alert. On July 1, two people were killed in a fire in the region where Tarragona, Catalonia is located.

Authorities said that the latest fire started early on Monday morning in a remote location near the village Pauls. Strong winds and rugged terrain had hampered efforts to fight fires. A military emergency unit and more than 300 firefighters were deployed in the area early on Tuesday.

The regional firefighting service in Catalonia said that firefighters had been fighting the fire since midnight with gusts reaching 90 kilometres an hour (56 miles) per hour. They added that the strong Mistral winds were expected to subside by the afternoon.

Fire engines raced through the Pauls Mountains overnight, with flames surrounding them, while crews assessed the situation and attempted to contain the fire.

Residents of the nearby villages of Xerta, and Aldover spent a night without sleep as flames threatened to destroy their homes.

"There was a lot (of) fear and crying because we were already at the edge of a fire. We couldn't leave the house last night because the wind was blowing smoke and fire. Rosa Veleda told reporters that the situation was "terrible, it's never happened before".

Authorities claimed that they prevented the fire spreading to the Ebro River. This would have made the situation worse. Officials are investigating how the fire started. Approximately 30% is within Ports Natural Park. (Writing, additional reporting and editing by Emma Pinedo)

(source: Reuters)