Britons among the thousands fleeing ‘monster’ Costa del Sol wildfire

A fire broke out in El Higueron near Mijas Pueblo, Spain, yesterday. It later spread to Alhaurin de la Torre and Alhaurin el Grande.

The fire has been described by a British expat as being “like a monster”.

Around 2,300 people had been evacuated from their homes by this morning because of the blaze, according to reports.

Evacuations were coordinated as a “precaution”, local authorities noted.

Adrian and Ursula Haworth said they were within 1,500 feet of the flames when they were forced to leave.

The British expat couple in their 80s, quoted in the Mirror, said they left their home with little more than medicines and the clothes on their backs.

Originally from Lincolnshire, the couple are now unsure what will happen to their home.

Ursula said: “The important thing is life and health because right now material things are what worry us least.

“Our thoughts are with the firefighters.

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Sixty-four year-old Scotsman Bill Anderson, now a councillor in Mijas, described how the fire sparked up amid intense heats.

He, quoted in the Daily Record, said: “The wildfire started up in the mountains at around 12pm. It was 37 degrees this afternoon so you can imagine how dry everything is.

“What happens with these fires really depends on what direction the wind is blowing. It can go up and over the mountain and down into another municipality or down towards us.

“This time, it’s gone over the mountain and people down there are being evacuated. There are some areas that have been evacuated in Mijas just as a precaution because we didn’t know which way the fire was going to go and also because of the smoke.

“It’s very heavy in the sky. It spreads very quickly as these things do. The security services really got on it very quickly.”

Temperatures are set to rise across the UK this weekend, too, with forecasters suggesting one of the coming four days could bring the hottest recorded temperature in the country yet.

source: express.co.uk