Cadiz Spain wildfires: Tourists evacuate between La Peña and Casas de Porros as flames soar - major warning issued to holidaymakers
Tourists and locals have been evacuated from resorts in southern Spain due to a ‘fast-spreading’ wildfire.
Flames have spread in the hills of Torre de la Peña, threatening campsites near the hugely popular resort of Tarifa in Cadiz in Andalusia. Aircraft has been scrambled in the desperate rescue operation, and to extinguish the flames.
Strong gusts are aiding the fire's spread and photographs show thick black smoke billow above deserted beaches. Roads, including the N-340 highway, are closed and all bars, restaurants and hotels have been evacuated in the approximate two miles between La Peña and Casas de Porros, reports local newspaper Europa Sur.
Tarifa Mayor Antonio Santos has described the situation as unprecedented. "This is the fastest-spreading fire I've ever seen," Santos said on national channel La Sexta.
He indicated that the fire ignited along the N-340 highway, an area densely lined with hotels, and that initial indications suggest the blaze originated in a caravan. The wildfire has forced tourists and locals to evacuate between La Peña and Casas de Porros in Cadiz.
Spain has issued a major warning as it is on the brink of soaring temperatures. A heatwave could sizzle the European Union holiday hotspot this week, with 38C highs anticipated - as a mix of yellow and amber warnings are activated.
The temperatures could even reach as high as 42C in the incoming heatwave. The Spanish version of the Met Office, Aemet, has triggered weather warnings impacting all of the country's mainland except for the Cantabria region in the north.