Madrid, Europe Brief News – More than 3,000 people were forced to leave homes because of a forest fire in the tourist region of Costa del Sol in southern Spain.
The flames broke out on Wednesday afternoon for reasons that remain unclear.
The 8,000-inhabitant community of Spain ‘s Benahavis and 300-inhabitant village of Pujerra, west of Málaga, were under threat, state broadcaster RTVE reported, citing regional politicians and fire brigade spokespersons.
Three firefighters were injured during the evacuation process.
“Sadly, we have to report that three firefighters from INFOCA suffered burns of different kinds and one of them has 25 percent of his body burned and was evacuated to Malaga hospital,” Andalusia’s regional president Juan Manuel Moreno told reporters.
Temperatures of more than 30C (86F), drought and strong winds continued to hamper firefighting efforts in the area on Thursday, RTVE said.
However, the situation was expected to improve during the course of the day as winds drop.
About 500 members of the fire brigade, civil defence and the UME military emergency unit were deployed, the Andalusia emergency services tweeted. No buildings have been affected, according to officials.
The affected area on the Sierra Bermeja mountain range was devastated by a six-day wildfire last September that destroyed more than 9,000 hectares (35 square miles) of forest.
Back then, the authorities believed the fire was started the work of arsonists. However, the perpetrators could not be identified.
The residents of Sierra Bermeja have experienced “another difficult night”, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on Twitter. He expressed his solidarity with those affected.