20 Jul, 2009 @ 20:22
1 min read

Forest fire grips region

OVER 700 guests at a hotel in Tarifa had to be evacuated after a forest fire raged out of control.

The holidaymakers had to be moved from the Hotel Meliá Atlanterra on Saturday after fire crews grew concerned over their safety.

Residents from the Jardines de Atlanterra urbanisation and a campsite were also evacuated and rehoused in a local school.

In total it destroyed 300 hectares of woodland in the Sierra Plata area of Tarifa.

The firefighters had to contend with winds gusting up to 80kph on Saturday.

Meanwhile the high temperatures and strong winds have sparked a wave of forest fires across Andalucia.

In Almeria over 500 people had to be evacuated after a fire raged through the Sierra Cabrera.

The blaze, which was started by lightning destroyed 4000 hectares of scrub and woodland.

Fires also broke out in the Sierra Blanca, near Marbella, which came dangerously close to Arroyo de los Monjes, an area under environmental protection.

“strong winds have sparked a wave of forest fires across Andalucia”

Fire crews found it difficult to control the blaze due to the elevated terrain and were dependent on planes and helicopters to subdue the flames.

Their work was also complicated by a another fire starting nearby in the Guadalhorce Valley.

Starting near Casarabonela, the high winds stoked the flames and caused the closing of the A-345 and A-357 roads.

The most destructive fire in Spain broke out in Catalonia where one man died and 5000 hectares of land were destroyed in Agramont, near Lleida.

Click here to read more Spain News from The Olive Press.

Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)

Jon Clarke is a Londoner who worked at the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday as an investigative journalist before moving to Spain in 2003 where he helped set up the Olive Press.

After studying Geography at Manchester University he fell in love with Spain during a two-year stint teaching English in Madrid.

On returning to London, he studied journalism and landed his first job at the weekly Informer newspaper in Teddington, covering hundreds of stories in areas including Hounslow, Richmond and Harrow.

This led on to work at the Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Mirror, Standard and even the Sun, before he landed his first full time job at the Daily Mail.

After a year on the Newsdesk he worked as a Showbiz correspondent covering mostly music, including the rise of the Spice Girls, the rivalry between Oasis and Blur and interviewed many famous musicians such as Joe Strummer and Ray Manzarak, as well as Peter Gabriel and Bjorn from Abba on his own private island.

After a year as the News Editor at the UK’s largest-selling magazine Now, he returned to work as an investigative journalist in Features at the Mail on Sunday.

As well as tracking down Jimi Hendrix’ sole living heir in Sweden, while there he also helped lead the initial investigation into Prince Andrew’s seedy links to Jeffrey Epstein during three trips to America.

He had dozens of exclusive stories, while his travel writing took him to Jamaica, Brazil and Belarus.

He is the author of three books; Costa Killer, Dining Secrets of Andalucia and My Search for Madeleine.

Contact jon@theolivepress.es

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