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| Spanish wildfire reaches edge of Marbella | Spanish wildfire reaches edge of Marbella |
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| Several thousand people have been evacuated after a huge wildfire raging out of control in southern Spain reached the edge of the tourist resort of Marbella on the Costa del Sol, Spanish authorities say. | Several thousand people have been evacuated after a huge wildfire raging out of control in southern Spain reached the edge of the tourist resort of Marbella on the Costa del Sol, Spanish authorities say. |
| The fire broke out near the port city of Malaga late on Thursday and raced westward, fanned by strong winds and high temperatures. | The fire broke out near the port city of Malaga late on Thursday and raced westward, fanned by strong winds and high temperatures. |
| Two people suffered minor burns when the blaze threatened a housing estate in northern Marbella, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people to a sports centre. | Two people suffered minor burns when the blaze threatened a housing estate in northern Marbella, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people to a sports centre. |
| Millions of tourists visit the Costa del Sol, famed for its beaches and nightlife, every year and hundreds of thousands of expatriates from northern Europe live in the coastal belt. | |
| The fire has defied the efforts of Spanish firefighters backed by aircraft and helicopters dumping water on the flames. | The fire has defied the efforts of Spanish firefighters backed by aircraft and helicopters dumping water on the flames. |
| "The fire is horrific, with flames 10 to 15 metres high," Angel Nozal, the mayor of Mijas, an inland town between Marbella and Malaga, told the national daily El País. | "The fire is horrific, with flames 10 to 15 metres high," Angel Nozal, the mayor of Mijas, an inland town between Marbella and Malaga, told the national daily El País. |
| "This is without a doubt the worst fire we've had in Malaga," Elias Bendodo, president of Malaga council, told Spanish national radio. | "This is without a doubt the worst fire we've had in Malaga," Elias Bendodo, president of Malaga council, told Spanish national radio. |
| "Thousands of people have been evacuated … Two people are definitely injured and … lots of houses have suffered damage," he said. | "Thousands of people have been evacuated … Two people are definitely injured and … lots of houses have suffered damage," he said. |
| Local authorities do not know how the fire started, but said they hoped to bring it under control later on Friday because the wind had dropped. | Local authorities do not know how the fire started, but said they hoped to bring it under control later on Friday because the wind had dropped. |
| Unusually dry weather in Spain has resulted in wildfires burning thousands of hectares of land this summer, and temperatures have hit record highs in some regions. | Unusually dry weather in Spain has resulted in wildfires burning thousands of hectares of land this summer, and temperatures have hit record highs in some regions. |
| Thousands of people were evacuated earlier this month in the Canary Islands, while four people died in fires in the border area between France and Catalonia, in north-east Spain, in July. | Thousands of people were evacuated earlier this month in the Canary Islands, while four people died in fires in the border area between France and Catalonia, in north-east Spain, in July. |