ARTESA DE SEGRE, Spain (Reuters) - Three wildfires in Spain's Catalonia region reduced about 1,100 hectares (2,700 acres) of woods and bushes to ash, local firefighters said on Thursday, as a heat-wave brought temperatures close to record highs in the area.

       The blazes started on Wednesday near the towns of Baldomar, Corbera d'Ebre and Castellar Ribera, the regional fire department tweeted. Hundreds of firemen were on the ground fighting the flames with a hundred trucks and a dozen aircraft.

       Scorching heat has hit Spain since late last week, the earliest summer heat-wave since 1981.

       As of June 5, the area burned in Spain was 34% smaller than the same period in 2021 and the lowest since 2018. However, since last week, the combination of hot weather, wind and thunderstorms sparked various wildfires around the nation.

       (Reporting by Albert Gea, Inti Landauro and Christina Thykjaer; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)