A forest fire is raging near the Spanish resort of Tarifa. A few hotels have already been evacuated. Firefighters in France are also fighting a fire near Ribaute in challenging weather.
Firefighters are combating flames in southern Spain and southwest France. Several hotels in the Spanish province of Andalusia had to be evacuated near the holiday town of Tarifa on the Strait of Gibraltar.
According to Andalusia’s regional administration, a huge number of individuals needed to be transported to safety in “record time”. In addition to the seven impacted hotels, two campsites and a beach bar have been evacuated.
Approximately 5,000 cars have been forced to flee the area affected by the fires. Approximately 100 individuals are still housed in emergency shelters.
TVE reported that a fire started in a mobile house at a campground on La Peña Mountain, near Tarifa. The fires spread quickly owing to high winds.
António Sanz, Andalusia’s Interior Minister, also commented on the ongoing challenging situation. According to officials, many fires are still blazing. The easterly wind, the Levante, which is popular among surfers, is complicated matters. Nonetheless, alert level 1 remains in place, and Tarifa’s centre is not under threat.
Spain is experiencing a heatwave this week. The Spanish Civil Protection Agency warned of a very high and serious fire risk in several areas of the country.
Temperatures remain consistently high in neighbouring France. A fire broke out at Ribaute, between Narbonne and Carcassonne, and has already consumed around 12,000 hectares, according to the local prefecture.
The blaze has already touched 15 municipalities. Firefighters are also dealing with unfavourable fire development, which is mostly caused by high winds.
At least nine persons were hurt in the incident, including seven firemen. A lady died in the town of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse. When the neighbourhoods endangered by the fire were evacuated, the woman refused to leave her home, according to Xavier de Volontat, the mayor of the municipality. One individual is still missing.
As reported by the broadcaster BMFTV, several communities around Ribaute were evacuated as a precautionary measure. Several campsites were also cleared. Numerous roads were closed due to the fire. Authorities urged residents to stay home unless specifically instructed to seek shelter. By Wednesday morning, around 2,500 households in the fire-hit region had had their power cut off.
Colonel Alexandre Jouassard of the Civil Protection warned that the fire was spreading with unusual speed. The local prefecture expects adverse weather conditions to persist today.
French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized on the X messaging service that “all the nation’s resources” have been mobilized to support the fight against the flames. Currently, around 1,500 firefighters are trying to contain the blaze, with hundreds more expected to join throughout the day.
The Aude department, which includes Ribaute, had already declared the highest forest fire alert level, red, on Tuesday. According to Météo-France, the entire region is experiencing a heatwave.
“The fire is spreading in an area where all the conditions for its spread are present,” said Lucie Roesch of the Aude prefecture. “This fire will keep us busy for several days.” “This is a long-term operation.”
