A LEVEL 2 emergency situation has been declared as 13 airborne units battle a raging forest fire in Beneixama on Spain’s Costa Blanca.

The emergency was declared at 5.00pm today by the Valencian Generalitat’s Communication Centre for Emergencies.

A level 2 emergency is the second of three ‘situations’, and is expected to ‘severely affect the population and non-forest natural resources’.

The situation, which demands ‘extraordinary measures’, was escalated from a level 1 emergency declared just two hours previously.

EMERGENCY: Photograph taken from Onil.
Credit: Darren Thompson via Facebook
ABLAZE: Photograph taken from the Beneixama to Banyeres Road.
Credit: Nicki Morley via Facebook

At least 13 air units – including helicopters and aeroplanes – are understood to be battling the blaze, alongside 10 fire trucks from the Diputacion de Alicante, 27 forest firefighting units and five environmental agents.

The Spanish Met Office has said temperatures in Beneixama are exceeding ’35 degrees’ while a northeasterly wind is stoking the flames.

Two people are so far understood to have been evacuated.

More to follow..

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