Touristenprovinz Costa del Sol
3,000 people stranded in wildfires in Spain
06/09/2022, 12:23 p.m.
The coastal region of southern Spain will only be devastated by the catastrophic fire of September 2021. Now the forests of the Costa del Sol are on fire again. About 500 rescue workers are on duty and several thousand are being evacuated. The cause of the fire is not yet clear.
More than 3,000 people have been evacuated from a wildfire in the tourist stronghold of Costa del Sol in Spain on Thursday night. The fire, which broke out Wednesday afternoon, for the most unknown reason, initially threatened the village of Benahavis, which has a population of 8,000, and Pujara, a population of 300, about 100 kilometers west of Malaga in southern Spain, state television broadcaster RTVE reported. , Citing regional politicians and fire department spokesmen. Three firefighters were injured. One of them was taken to hospital due to severe burns. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.
Temperatures of more than 30 degrees, drought and strong winds have made it difficult to put out fires. Also, it is difficult to get to the area. However, improvement in the situation with weak winds is expected over the course of the day. The Andalusian emergency services announced on Twitter that about 500 members of the fire brigade, civil defense and military emergency services UME had been suspended. According to official information, the buildings were not initially damaged.
Area already affected by wildfires in the fall of 2021
The affected area of the Sierra Bermeza mountain range was destroyed in September 2021 by a six-day wildfire only. At that time 9000 hectares of forests were destroyed. This corresponds to an area of approximately 13,000 football fields.
At the time, authorities believed the blaze was the work of thugs. However, the culprits could not be identified. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on Twitter that residents of Sierra Bermeja were now once again experiencing “a tough night”. The socialist politician expressed his solidarity with the victims.
