IN PICS: Heatwave triggers massive wildfire in Spain, 40 evacuated

As many as 40 people have been evacuated from the area and 22 of them spent the night in a shelter located in Flix. Meanwhile, another wildfire was brought under control in Humanes, in the central region of Madrid, officials said../ Image: Twitter @VictorLeonardi2

Regional spokesman Miquel Buch said it was one of the worst fires in Catalonia in the past 20 years. Around 350 fire-fighters worked throughout the night to stabilise the perimeter of wildfire with the help of around 80 fire vehicles, 10 tractors and heavy machinery. This handout picture released on June 26, 2019 by the firefighters of Catalonia, Bombers Generalitat Catalunya, shows a wildfire at Torre de l´Espanyol in Ribera d´Ebro, on the banks of the river Ebre, northeastern Spain. (Photo by Handout / Bombers Generalitat Catalunya / AFP)

Flames have consumed 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) of forest. According to fire-fighters, the area of land affected by the fire might reach 20,000 if they are not able to douse the flames soon.This handout aerial picture released on June 26, 2019 by the firefighters of Catalonia, Bombers Generalitat Catalunya, shows a wildfire at Torre de l´Espanyol in Ribera d´Ebro, on the banks of the river Ebre, northeastern Spain. - Authorities raised alerts as Europe's record-breaking June heatwave threatened to intensify with temperatures heading into the 40s Celsius. The choking heat has prompted traffic restrictions, sparked forest fires and fanned debate over public nudity as sweltering Germans stripped off. (Photo by Handout / Bombers Generalitat Catalunya / AFP)

The region housed a nuclear power station, emergency services said on Thursday. The Ascó nuclear power station near Flix could soon be surrounded by a wall of thick smoke from brush fires near it, Efe news reported citing officials. (Photo by Handout / UME / AFP)

The heatwave that has engulfed Western Europe kindled the year's first serious wildfire in the mountainous region of Tarragona district of Spain, endangering a nuclear power station and forcing people to evacuate the area. / An image grab taken from a video released on June 27, 2019 by the Spanish Emergency Military Unit (UME) shows a fireman trying to extinguish a wildfire near Torre de l´Espanyol in Ribera d´Ebro, on the banks of the river Ebre, northeastern Spain. (Photo by Handout / UME / AFP)