The fire, sparked Saturday by a barbecue and fuelled by violent winds, swept through the drought-stricken province of Guadalajara, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people from several villages and a resort.

Late Monday, firefighters were still battling two of the three fronts of the blaze, which extended into the Alto Tajo national park, officials said, declaring three days of official mourning.

Castilla-La Mancha's regional chief Jose Maria Barreda said the fire -- the deadliest such blaze in Spain in more than 10 years -- had gathered new strength.

In spite of what he called unprecedented means, putting out the blaze was proving very difficult because of the extensive forests and powerful winds.

The inferno, which consumed between 10,000 to 12,000 hectares (25,000-30,000 acres) of very dry pine forest, left one other firefighter injured.

Several all-terrain vehicles and a fire truck went up in flames as well. Outside one, which had run into a low wall, lay the charred bodies of two of the 11 dead firefighters, who were aged 24 to 52.

Medical examiners were on site to begin the difficult process of identifying the bodies, which were located during the night, Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega said after visiting the scene.

A team of 20 psychologists counseled family members of those killed in the blaze, all of whom belonged to a reserve firefighter unit made up of forest workers, she said after government crisis talks. One woman was among the dead.

Angry family members of those killed lashed out at Fernandez de la Vega and other government officials who visited the scene, accusing authorities of failing to deploy enough personnel to battle the flames.

Environment Minister Cristina Narbona meanwhile denounced those who set up barbecues in heavily forested areas, calling them "completely irresponsible."

Spanish investigators were questioning a dozen young people in connection with the fire, but it was not immediately clear if any of them would be held or charged.

Authorities said the blaze was the deadliest since at least 1992.

Greenpeace called on the government to formally ban open fires in sensitive areas such as mountains and forests during the summer months.

"It seems obvious that in the current circumstances of heat and drought, making fires should be strictly forbidden, even at designated areas such as playgrounds or campsites where it is normally permitted," the environmental group said.

The villages of Luzon, Ciruelos del Pinar, Santa Maria del Espino and Tobillos were the most endangered by the fire.

In the Guadalajara region some 700 people and a summer camp were evacuated Sunday.

Not far from Spain's second city, Barcelona, a fire broke out Monday afternoon near Castellnou de Bages and several residents were evacuated.

Spain is in the middle of its worst drought in 60 years, with temperatures regularly hitting 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). Tinderbox conditions in the underbrush and forests have ratcheted up the risk of fires.

Some 50,000 hectares of forest have gone up in flames in Spain this year through the end of June, compared to around 124,000 hectares during the whole of last year, forestry officials said.

Since the beginning of July, with the heat and drought getting ever worse, at least another 10,000 hectares of woodland have burned to the ground around the country.

Some 100 firefighters have lost their lives battling forest fires in the last 15 years, Spanish media reported.

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