Huge wildfires have swept across the countryside in Spain following a severe heatwave.
Authorities now suspect an arson attack after intense flames spread through the north-western region of Galicia on Wednesday (August 3), causing a number of major roads to close.
Over 550 hectares (around 1,360 acres) of land were ablaze during the height of the inferno, which broke out near the town of Verin.
Alarming footage from the scene shows firemen using equipment to bat the fire on the floor of a scorched woodland, while images show the sky above the urban area turned a hazy red by the rising flames.
The regional government has since revealed that the fire appears to have been started simultaneously at three different locations at least, suggesting a "clear intentionality" behind its spread.
Responding to the evidence and a number of alleged witness reports, Galician Minister of Rural Affairs José González said: "What this proves... is that it was a car moving and starting the fires."
He has since visited the area affected and issued a plea for residents to band together and "stop these heartless [people]".
Further dramatic photographs emerged later in the day showed the fire forming a large smoke cloud akin to a volcano in the area, resulting in comments on social media.
Reacting to the picture, a forest firefighter wrote: "Craziness! It looks like a volcano! Verín fire IFVerínVerín where the two teams of Brif Laza work with their two helicopters. More than a dozen points, clearly intentional fire. One of the points is out of control."
Record-breaking wildfires in Spain and Morocco produced more carbon emissions in June and July this year than in the same period of any year since 2003, the European Union's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said last month.
Recent incidents of intense fire in Southern Europe and Northern Africa have led to the deaths of hundreds of people, and have forced thousands to abandon their homes and businesses.
But they are also thought by scientists to have had a detrimental environmental impact, with the burning releasing greenhouse gases into Earth's atmosphere.
Fires in Spain alone resulted in 1.3 million tonnes of carbon emissions from June to July 17, the highest amount for June-July since records began 19 years ago.
