Villagers flee their homes while Spanish fires blaze for the fifth day

ESTEPONA, Spain, September 12 (Reuters) – People fled their homes in six more Andalusian cities and towns on Sunday as Spain sent a military unit to help fight the blaze near a tourist resort. the Costa del Sol.

A wildfire caused by high winds has now driven nearly 2,000 people and killed an emergency worker since it erupted Wednesday in the mountainous Sierra Bermeja over Estepona, a popular spot among British tourists and retirees. Read more

From miles away huge feathers of smoke could be seen rising over the mountains. Videos released by emergency services showed firefighters trying to contain flames in the dry, wooded terrain.

The evacuees, some elderly, sat around plastic tables at a sports center in the nearby town of Ronda, while volunteers brought bottled water, chairs and supplies.

“Everything has been very quick and effective to tell you the truth, but we are a little nervous because we don’t know what will happen,” said computer scientist Abraham Lopez, who was evacuated from his home in Genalguacil.

Emergency crews also cleared people from the towns and villages of Jubrique, Farajan, Pujerra, Alpandeire and Juzcar on Sunday in the hills where the fire burns amid the high temperatures of late summer.

Five other communities were evacuated on Friday.

The fire had an “unusual force and force” and was advancing in various directions, Alejandro Garcia, from the forest fire agency’s operational center, told reporters.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the deployment of a military emergency unit to help fight the fire. “We will work in a coordinated and relentless manner in the face of the fire that is devastating the province of Malaga,” he said on Twitter.

The fire covered more than 6,000 hectares according to provisional data from the European Commission’s Copernicus satellite, the environment ministry said in a statement.

The Andalusian regional forest fire agency said 365 firefighters were facing the fire backed by 41 aircraft and 25 vehicles.

Regional Head of Environment Carmen Crespo said on Friday that the fire appeared to have been deliberately started and that investigators were working to find out more details.

Report by Jessica Jones and John Nazca; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle and Andrew Heavens

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