A violent fire that engulfed some 2,000 hectares of southern Spain’s forest, where 10,000 hectares had been destroyed by flames last September caused nearly 2,000 people to be evacuated from Wednesday through Thursday.
On Wednesday afternoon, the fire broke out in the Sierra Bermeja mountain in Malaga, Andalusia. The fire started as the country is experiencing a heat wave, with temperatures of over 40 degrees in the area.
According to Andalusian authorities the fire spread to more than 2,000 hectares of land. This was an area that is “difficult accessible” because it has steep slopes.
According to emergency services, the disaster caused “2,000 people to be evacuated”. Three firefighters sustained injuries, one of which suffered severe burns. He was taken to Malaga’s hospital.
According to Elias Bendodo (spokesman for the regional government in Andalusia), “1,000 people” have been mobilized to combat this fire. They include firefighters, military emergency unit members, and members of the military.
The wind was a problem as the flames moved at 30 meters per hour during the night, making it difficult to fight the fire.
However, according to Elias Bendodo on Thursday morning, the wind stopped. He stressed that this is “good news” as it “will facilitate the work on ground”.
Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish Prime Minister, expressed support and solidarity to the residents affected by the fires on Twitter. He also stressed that it was difficult for firefighters and rescuers to get out of the fires at night.
The Sierra Bermeja area was already ravaged by a fire that had destroyed nearly 10,000 hectares forest, killing a 44-year old firefighter.
