The now extensive forest fire broke out on Thursday north of the Spanish tourist attraction Mijas. Watchman then saw fire fighting helicopters flying to and fro. “They get water from the lake on the golf course. I have so much respect for these pilots.”
More than 3,000 people have been evacuated from the area, according to regional emergency services. Many of them are housed in a sports center. Several forest fires also broke out in the Extremadura region, near the border with Portugal.
In Portugal itself, thousands of hectares of forest have also burned down. This happened in the northern Aveiro, the centrally located Leiria, the southern Faro (Algarve) and in Setubal, 50 kilometers south of the capital Lisbon. In recent days, temperatures of around 40 degrees have been reached in a large part of Portugal.
Forest fires are still raging in southwestern France. Local authorities said this morning that a total of 10,500 hectares of forest had been destroyed. More than 14,000 people had to leave their home or holiday address last week.
The fires can spread due to high winds and drought. More than 12,000 firefighters and several firefighting aircraft are currently trying to extinguish the fires.