A FIRE that started in a roadside bin has gutted a mechanic’s workshop and destroyed 50 vehicles on the Costa del Sol.
The blaze broke out on Sunday afternoon near the Padron river in Estepona.
It quickly spread from the bin to nearby dry scrubland before engulfing the adjacent industrial unit.
Emergency services were forced to evacuate several nearby homes as a precaution while they battled the flames.
Thick smoke prompted the 112 Andalucia emergency hotline to advise local residents to keep their doors and windows shut.
The incident caused major disruption for motorists, shutting a southbound lane of the A-7 motorway towards Cadiz for several hours.
Firefighters from the Consorcio Provincial de Bomberos (CPB) and the regional Plan Infoca forestry unit were deployed to the scene at 2.30pm.
They spent seven hours fighting the inferno, finally bringing it under control by 9.30pm.
Around 20 ground troops and two fire engines worked to prevent the flames from spreading further into the residential area.
Initial assessments confirm the blaze scorched 800 square metres of vegetation alongside the catastrophic damage to the workshop.
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