JOIN USSeveral thousand people were evacuated when a huge wildfire raging out of control in southern Spain reached the edge of the upmarket tourist resort of Marbella on the Costa del Sol, Spanish authorities said on Friday.
The fire broke out near the port city of Malaga late on Thursday and raced westward, fanned by strong winds and high temperatures.
Two people suffered minor burns when the blaze threatened a housing estate in northern Marbella, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people to a sports centre. Millions of tourists visit the Costa del Sol, famed for its beaches and nightlife, every year.
The fire broke out near Malaga and spread quickly west towards Marbella, fanned by strong winds and high temperatures, defying the efforts of Spanish firefighters backed by aircraft and helicopters dumping water on the flames.