A large wildfire on Spain’s Mediterranean coast has destroyed structures and forced 1,000 residents and holiday makers to evacuate.
The fire started Sunday in the Javea area, a popular tourist resort at Costa Blanca and was attacked by 300 firefighters and 20 water-dropping aircraft. They had the fire temporarily knocked down, but after sunset when the aircraft were grounded it picked up again. The fire was still active Monday morning.
According to the The Telegraph, the fire was started deliberately in three spots between Javea and Benitachell and has burned approximately 20 homes. The army has been called in to assist firefighters.
The fire started on one of the hottest days of the year when the temperature reached 40ºC (104ºF).
Canadians among tourists who slept on beach to escape massive #wildfires in southern #Spain … pic.twitter.com/z3GLjyP8l6
— Canada News (@canadanews5) September 5, 2016
Many people have posted information on Twitter about the fire, including BBC media personality Chris Stark, who sounds like the actor Hugh Grant in a couple of videos he has uploaded about the fire. Apparently he was on holiday in the area. We can’t embed Twitter videos, but you can see them here. For a while he thought that perhaps his apartment and car had burned, but at the last report they were spared.
@BabiesanBeauty @IamHaides @Chris_Stark this is the area being evacuated pic.twitter.com/q60IDtahRa
— Elior Kersnibs Esq (@hugelavvy) September 4, 2016
Terrible incendio en #Javea pic.twitter.com/Q91zVEtaJe
— Javier Molins (@javiermolinspav) September 4, 2016
The video below is a drive through a residential area in which the fire burned.
