deterioration Wildfire Continuing through the woodland and prompting the evacuation of nearly 1,000 residents, has claimed the life of a firefighter, the southern authorities Spain Said Thursday night.
The fire in the mountains of the province of Malaga erupted late on Wednesday and spread under the impetus of winds of up to 50 km/h and changing directions. Authorities in the Andalusian region said that 940 people were evacuated near the resort town of Estepona and three other cities.
Infoca, the fire department in the area, said that a 44-year-old firefighter died from flame burns. Authorities said the victim was one of nearly 300 firefighters working on the ground and was helped by 29 planes and helicopters.
The mayor of Estepona City, Jose Gracia Urbano, told reporters that investigators are investigating that it may have been the result of the arson, because it started in two different places in the middle of the night when it was very windy. “This is very suspicious,” Urbano said in a comment published by Spanish public broadcaster TVE.
The smoke from the fire also shut down the main highway AP-7 for 14 kilometers (9 miles). Although traffic resumed late Thursday, it was blocked again in the afternoon due to strong winds fueling the flames. At least two smaller roads remain closed.
The Regional Fire Fighting Service stated that the rugged terrain made it difficult to extinguish the flames. Infoca said in a statement: “It has obvious slopes and strong westerly winds, which complicates the work.”
In the hot and dry summer, wildfires-some are natural, some are man-made-are common in Southern Europe. The Spanish Ministry of Ecological Transformation stated that as of August 29, 74,200 hectares (186,000 acres) of forest and shrubland in the country had been burned in 2021.
