Hundreds of people have been evacuated following the outbreak of a fast-moving wildfire in Andalucia.

Residents in parts of Huelva province received an emergency ES-Alert on their mobile phones on Wednesday as firefighters continued battling the inferno near El Cerro del Andevalo.

The alert urged people to stay away from the affected area and follow the instructions of emergency services after the Junta de Andalucia activated the emergency phase of its Infoca wildfire plan.

At least 380 people were evacuated from Villanueva de las Cruces as a precaution.

The alert sent to phones comes after the devastating Almeria wildfire earlier this month that claimed the lives of 13 people.

Authorities in that case said ES-Alerts were not sent because they ‘could have caused confusion’ due to different areas having mismatched evacuation orders.

The Huelva blaze, which broke out at around 10pm on Tuesday in the Los Pajares area, remains active and has prompted the deployment of 120 firefighters, six fire engines, four bulldozers and 13 aircraft.

The aerial operation includes six helicopters – one heavy, four medium and one light – alongside seven planes, including four ground-loading aircraft, two light amphibious aircraft and a coordination plane.

Fire crews are focusing efforts on the head of the fire, where dense forest is increasing the risk of the flames spreading further.

The Junta declared Operational Situation 1, meaning the fire can still be tackled using Andalucia’s own emergency resources but poses a sufficient threat to require the activation of the emergency phase of the Infoca plan and protective measures for the public.

Regional emergencies minister Antonio Sanz urged residents to obey emergency services, avoid travelling to the area and not put themselves or firefighters at unnecessary risk.

The wildfire is the third to hit Huelva province in the past 24 hours.

Earlier, a blaze in Almonaster la Real was stabilised, allowing 350 evacuated residents to return home, while another wildfire in Lucena del Puerto was extinguished late on Tuesday.