Wildfires erupt again in Spain & south of France killing at least one as tourists, hotels and beach bars evacuated
FIRE SURGE Wildfires erupt again in Spain & south of France killing at least one as tourists, hotels and beach bars evacuated
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DEADLY wildfires are sweeping through Spain and France with hotels and popular beach bars being evacuated.
Southern Spain was set alight after a terrifying forest fire erupted near a beach resort in a blaze described by an official as the fastest-spreading fire he has ever seen.
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Smoke from wildfires raging in the Aude department is seen from the Mediterranean coast in Banyuls-sur-Mer, southwestern France
Credit: AFP
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A beach in Tarifa, Spain was engulfed in flames
Credit: Reuters
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Spain is experiencing a prolonged heatwave with temperatures reaching 43C in some areas
Credit: EPA
Hundreds of people are said to have rushed for cover in a shelter in Algeciras as the fires started to approach residential areas.
Locals and tourists were evacuated from hotels and homes as the flames were fanned towards a beach bar in Tarifa and nearby campsites.
The fires were also fast approaching the N-340 highway and the Estrecho Natural Park.
A team of up to 17 aircraft were deployed to battle the blazes since Sunday.
Firefighters were still working to extinguish the fires on Wednesday.
Over in southern France, the wildfires proves fatal as one person died in the village of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse.
Firefighters battled to control the massive flames that had already swept through an area bigger than Paris.
At least 25 houses have burned down with dozens of roads in the area being closed down.
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Europe burns once more as deadly wildfires sweep France and Spain, forcing tourists to evacuate and killing one woman in her home
Europe is battling a new wave of deadly wildfires as dramatic blazes sweep France and Spain, forcing panicking tourists to evacuate and killing one woman in her home. It comes as a scorching heatwave continues to grip Europe with multiple countries recording their hottest temperatures yet as scientists warn of the mounting impact of climate change. The fast-moving wildfire in southern France burned through some 13,000 hectares of land, a swathe as large as Paris, local officials said on Wednesday. The blaze, believed to have been started by a discarded cigarette butt, has destroyed or damaged 25 homes in the Aude department, where 1,500 firefighters have been battling to extinguish it. A woman died in her home and two people were injured, one of whom is now in critical condition with severe burns, according to the Aude prefecture. The blaze marks the biggest in France in a summer which has already seen some 9,000 fires, mainly along its Mediterranean coast. Meanwhile, a dramatic forest fire near a beach resort in southern Spain also forced the evacuation of around 1,500 tourists and locals in a blaze that one official called 'the fastest-spreading fire I've ever seen'. Hundreds of people were said to have bunkered down in a shelter in Algeciras after being evacuated from hotels and homes near the fire in Tarifa, as beach bars and campsites were abandoned in the chaos. Firefighters were still working to extinguish the fire on Wednesday, having battled through the night to control the blaze that required a team of up to 17 aircraft. The woman who died in France was a 65-year-old who lived alone, according to French media, whose house was engulfed by the flames. 'The resident absolutely wanted to stay in her house and unfortunately the fire quickly arrived and engulfed her house,' the mayor of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, Xavier de Volontat, said. 'People are losing everything,' said Aude Damesin, who lives in the town of Fabrezan. 'I find it tragic to see so many fires since the beginning of the summer.' 'The fire is still spreading and is far from being contained or under control,' said Remi Recio, an official in the southern city of Narbonne. The Aude department in particular - a rural and wooded area - has seen an increase in areas burnt in recent years, aggravated by low rainfall and the removal of vineyards, which used to help brake the advance of fires. 'The fire is advancing in an area where all the conditions are ripe for it to progress. We are monitoring the edges and the back of the fire to prevent flare-ups,' said Lucie Roesch, secretary general of the Aude prefecture. The fire broke out Tuesday afternoon in the village of Ribaute. Planes were dropping water on the flames but Roesch warned 'this fire will keep us busy for several days. It's a long-term operation'. A firefighting vehicle drives past houses near an area devastated by a wildfire near Fontjoncouse, southwestern France One person was seriously burned and another injured, the prefecture said, adding that seven firefighters were also hurt. 'All of the Nation's resources are mobilised,' French President Emmanuel Macron said on X, while calling on people to exercise 'the utmost caution'. Camping grounds and one village were partially evacuated, and several local roads have been closed. The fires have spread through a stretch of land roughly equivalent to the size of the French capital between Carcassonne and Narbonne. Four Canadairs, two Dashes and a water bomber helicopter resumed service around 7 am on Wednesday morning to fight the flames, as 100 police officers supported the effort. Meanwhile in Spain, the flames are spreading in the hills of Torre de la Peña, behind the hugely popular resort of Tarifa. According to the Andalucia firefighter service INFOCA, there are gusts of 20-25km/hr that are favouring the fire's spread. The fire is snaking very close to the N-340 highway and the Estrecho Natural Park - the former of which has been partially closed between Las Piñas and Pedro Valiente. All bars, restaurants or hotels have been evacuated between La Peña and Casas de Porros, reports local newspaper Europa Sur. According to the local police, the fire started in a motorhome at the Torre la Peña campsite, which also had to be evacuated. The flames then blew westward, away from the campsite, and spread rapidly through a hilly and grassland area where homes and tourist establishments are scattered - including the Wawa Hotel, which is reported to have been affected by the fire. Several beach bars and 'chiringuitos' have also been evacuated due to the large amounts of ash being carried down to the shore. Some 17 aircraft have been roped in to tackle the inferno, which took hold in Cadiz in Andalusia on Tuesday afternoon. The current firefighting operation involves five helicopters, two water-carrying planes and a coordination plane, five forest fire ground crews and more. Tarifa Mayor Antonio Santos has described the situation as unprecedented. 'This is the fastest-spreading fire I've ever seen,' he said on national channel La Sexta. Tarifa is often branded a 'surfer's paradise' due to its extremely wide beaches and tall waves. Hundreds of the people evacuated from hotels and homes by the fire were said to have spent the night in a hostel in Algeciras, while droves found shelter in a La Marina sports centre in Tarifa as 5,000 fled the area in cars. Fire stations from elsewhere in the province including Chiclana, Benalup and Los Barrios sent troops to assist the effort against the blaze in Tarifa, as attempts are being concentrated on controlling the fire on the north and east flanks. 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