Officials say arson behind most wildfires in northern Spain

MADRID (AP) — Officials in the small northern Spanish region of Asturias say arsonists are behind most of some 100 wildfires raging in the heavily wooded and mountainous area. Unusually high spring temperatures and gusting winds have helped spread the fires over the past two days with some 400 people needing to be evacuated from villages and small towns and several roads cut off for safety. Asturias regional President Adrián Barbón said the full weight of the law would be applied to what he described as fire terrorists. He said the fires were started in an organized way by criminals taking advantage of the adverse weather conditions. Firefighters in the region reported early Friday they were dealing with 116 blazes in 35 areas.