More evacuations as Spanish wildfire blazes

Gulf Today Report

Soldiers are being deployed in southeastern Spain to join the battle against a major wildfire as Andalusia's regional government said on Sunday two more towns would be evacuated.

A major wildfire that is burning for a fourth day as it continues to rage close to a popular Costa del Sol resort.

It has destroyed more than 6,000 hectares (15,000 acres) of forest and prompted fresh evacuations, bringing the total number of residents displaced to around 2,000.

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Fanned by strong winds and high late-summer temperatures, the flames have driven over 1,000 people from their homes and killed one emergency worker since they erupted on Wednesday in the mountainous Sierra Bermeja above Estepona, a Mediterranean resort favoured by British tourists and retirees.

A military unit was traveling from the military base of Morón, in southern Spain, to join more than 300 firefighters and 41 water-dropping aircraft battling the flames.

Residents watch a wildfire on Sierra Bermeja mountain in Genalguacil, near Estepona, Spain. Reuters

Infoca, the Andalusia region’s agency in charge of firefighting efforts, described Sunday as a "key day” for bringing the blaze under control.

The government announced on Sunday emergency services had ordered the "preventative evacuation" of the towns of Jubrique, population over 500, and Genalguacil, population around 400, where residents on Saturday had been confined to their homes because of the low-lying smoke in the area.

"The evacuation is taking place with maximum security measures and before a possible unfavourable evolution of the fire in that area," the regional government said in a statement.

A combination of hot and dry temperatures with strong winds created a perfect storm turning the blaze that started late on Wednesday into a "hungry monster,” as a regional official described it earlier this week.

A 44-year-old firefighter died Thursday while trying to extinguish the blaze.

A wildfire burns on Sierra Bermeja mountain, in Genalguacil, near Estepona, Spain, on Saturday. Reuters

Authorities say they have evidence of arson.

Wildfires are common in southern Europe during the hot, dry summer months, but have been particularly numerous around the Mediterranean this year, worsened by the intense August heatwaves.

Photos released by Andalusia's regional forest fire agency taken from a helicopter show plumes of red smoke rising from the hilly landscape that is dotted with flames.

"The images we receive from the command helicopter show us the complicated terrain and the virulent behaviour of the fire," it said.