Spain: hundreds of firefighters still at work in Andalusia

Béjar (Spain), 11 July (LaPresse/AP) – Hundreds of firefighters, aided by helicopters and aeroplanes, are at work in Spain to tackle the wildfire that broke out on Thursday in the province of Almería, which has claimed 12 lives and burnt around 66 square kilometres of forest and farmland – an area roughly the size of Manhattan. A combination of light winds and high humidity is helping the crews, but the vast scale of the fire continues to pose a challenge, said Antonio Sanz, head of Andalusia’s emergency services. According to the authorities, most of the victims died after ignoring instructions from rescue workers. The authorities have pre-emptively evacuated 1,448 people from around 11 areas.