More than 3,000 people had to be brought to safety in Spain on Wednesday night because of a forest fire in the tourist region of Costa del Sol in southern Spain.
The flames broke out on Wednesday afternoon for reasons that remain unclear. The 8,000-inhabitant community of Benahavis and 300-inhabitant village of Pujerra, west of Málaga, weremost under threat, state broadcaster RTVE reported citing regional politicians and fire brigade spokespersons.
Three firefighters were injured.
Temperatures of more than 30 degrees Celsius, drought and strong winds continued to hamper firefighting efforts in the area on Thursday, the report said.
However, the situation was expected to improve during the course of the day as winds drop.
Around 500 members of the fire brigade, civil defence and the UME military emergency unit were deployed, the Andalusia emergency services tweeted. No buildings have been affected, according to officials.
Devastated area
The affected area on the Sierra Bermeja mountain range was devastated by a six-day wildfire last September that destroyed more than 9,000 hectares of forest.
Back then, the authorities believed the fire was started the work of arsonists. However, the perpetrators could not be identified.
The inhabitants of Sierra Bermeja have now experienced "another difficult night," Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote on Twitter. The politician expressed his solidarity with those affected.
