Spain’s first major forest fire of the year has destroyed some 600 hectares of land in just 24 hours in the east of the country, according to the authorities. Some 180 people have been evacuated in the affected mountainous region around Tàrbena in Alicante province, some 90 kilometres south of Valencia, broadcaster RTVE reported on Monday, citing the authorities. The fire, which broke out on Sunday less than 15 kilometres from the Mediterranean Sea, is spreading rapidly, it said. Pilar Bernabé, the representative of Madrid’s central government in the Autonomous Community of Valencia, told jour…