More than 170 soldiers have been deployed to evacuate a holiday hotspot after a wildfire caused a 65-foot wall of fire to engulf two villages in south-eastern Spain. Almost 200 people have been evacuated after a forest fire ripped through the villages in Murcia, located a short drive from the southern Costa Blanca near Benidorm and Alicante.
Yesterday evening, around 170 soldiers belonging to the Army's specialist UME unit were drafted in to help firefighters and other emergency responders tackling the blaze from the ground and the air. Hikers walking on the nearby mountain ridge of Cresta Del Gallo raised the alarm at 3 pm yesterday when they spotted fires erupting at a nearby national park. The flames soon spread across the Murcia region, resulting in panicked locals making over 200 calls to emergency services.
Footage from the scene shows terrified tourists and locals fleeing from the towering inferno, which rapidly gained momentum as it continued to burn everything in sight. Over 300 firefighters, emergency services personnel, and soldiers were deployed to tackle the blaze, while planes and helicopters flew overhead to shower the fires with water. The fire has currently burned down over 270 hectares of land, and one person has been treated for burns.
In a shocking statement, emergency services revealed the blaze may have even been started by an arsonist, claiming that "initial hypotheses suggest the fire was intentionally set." Murcia mayor Rebeca Perez said emergency services had been working tirelessly overnight to tackle the fire "without rest."
"To all the residents of Los Garres and the affected areas, we want to convey our affection and support after a particularly difficult day," she said. "The fire in Los Garres remains active. This morning we reinforced firefighting efforts with the gradual addition of aerial resources, while the Regional Government of Murcia (CARM), the Military Emergency Unit (UME), and emergency services continue working on the ground."
One local, among those who decided to abandon their homes voluntarily before being ordered to leave, said earlier in the day: "The whole sky is grey. You can see the smoke from here and it's still burning." Another said: "There are many residential areas that came very, very close to the fire. I'm talking about a street 13 feet wide and a flame front 65 feet high. Because it has rained so much in Murcia and throughout Spain, until a month ago the area was still green and there hasn't been time to clear it. That undergrowth burned spectacularly."
As of Wednesday morning, the forest fire is "without active flames" and has "hot spots" but they pose "no risk," the emergency services said in a statement.
