Over 100 people have been evacuated from their homes due to a fire in Murcia. Within a few hours, 110 hectares of forest areas have burned.
Residents from around 50 houses that are dangerously close to the fire have been evacuated. The evacuations were carried out as a precautionary measure and due to the risk posed by the smoke, and not because the fire directly affected the properties, explained the regional prime minister of the region of Murcia, Fernando López.
Nearly 400 people continue to fight the flames. In addition to firefighters, the extinguishing teams include forestry brigades, Civil Protection, local police, the Civil Guard and employees of the Disaster and Accident Assistance Unit of the Spanish Armed Forces. The military has deployed more than 80 people and 44 vehicles. 11 aircraft, including water bombers, as well as helicopters, are also involved in extinguishing the flames.
The flames have spread to the lower part of the mountain, where there are large plots of land with abandoned citrus terraces, with a lot of dry undergrowth that ignites quickly and favors the spread of the fire. The cause of the fire, which started in the early afternoon, is still unknown.