Rapid wildfire prompts mass evacuations in Spanish resort town
The fire reportedly started around 3:00 p.m. local time (1300 GMT) in a motorhome at a campsite near Valdevaqueros beach, a place popular with surfers and kite surfers. Fanned by strong winds and dry conditions, the flames quickly spread across the surrounding area.
Live footage on Spanish television showed thick plumes of smoke billowing over the coastline as emergency crews worked to clear sunbathers and tourists from beaches in the fire's path.
Tarifa Mayor Antonio Santos described the situation as unprecedented.
"This is the fastest-spreading fire I've ever seen," Santos said on national channel La Sexta. He indicated that the fire ignited along the N-340 highway, an area densely lined with hotels, and that initial indications suggest the blaze originated in a caravan.
At least nine km of the N-340 have been closed due to thick smoke. The fire is currently advancing through pine forests, agricultural fields, and farmland in the area.
The blaze near Tarifa is one of several wildfires burning across Spain as the country endures its second major heatwave of the summer, with temperatures soaring above 40 degrees Celsius in many regions.
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