Costa Blanca inferno Britons flee in terror as wildfires rage through resort
SCORES of British holidaymakers and expats fled in terror as wildfires ripped through Spain’s Costa Blanca.
They were among at least 1,000 people evacuated when the raging inferno neared the resort of Javea.
Dramatic photographs showed a wall of flames tearing through scrubland towards villas and clouds of thick, black smoke blotting out the blue skies.
Planes dropped water as firemen, who said many people had been left homeless, desperately battled the relentless march of the inferno. Local authority officials said the fire could have been an act of arson – and that the culprits may have deliberately chosen the hottest day of the year to start it.
Temperatures soared to 108F (42C) on Sunday in Javea, where foreigners make up almost half of residents.
The fires started in three different spots on Sunday afternoon between Javea and Benitachell and spread quickly through the night and yesterday morning, fuelled by strong winds and dry conditions.
Police told people to leave their homes at around 7pm on Sunday, forcing some families to sleep in cars and emergency shelters. Expat Nicola Franklin, who lives in the Costa Nova district in Javea and owns a clothing shop, moved out to a friend’s house and returned in the morning.
‘ Everything was charred and smouldering, with no one around due to the evacuation – it was eerie,’ she said yesterday.
She said the fire damage in her area was limited to gardens and fences and ‘signs of scorching’ on her shop. ‘Thankfully the buildings are still standing,’ she said, before praising the ‘true Blitz spirit’ of the community as people opened their homes to those in need.
Other communities were not so lucky, with volunteer firefighter Leo Gomez saying many people were made homeless. ‘The experience was very sad to see how something so beautiful destroyed,’ he said.
‘The feeling was terror, helplessness, fear – a set of bad feelings by not being able to do more and images that will never be forgotten.’
BBC Radio 1 presenter Chris Stark, holidaying with his family, was among those caught up in the drama. He said ion Twitter: ‘This is crazy. I think my car and maybe my apartment is on fire.’
A distraught British pensioner was said to have assaulted police who were trying to evacuate him from his burning home.
The distressing situation caused the 93-year- old man to go into shock, a police spokesman said. ‘Officers, who understood the state of nervousness he was in, managed to calm him down, although only after receiving more blows,’ the spokesman added.
Spanish authorities said more than 200 firefighters, with 65 vehicles, were still on the scene yesterday. Officials said there was ‘every indication’ that the fire was intentional as it broke out in several places at once.
‘This is environmental terrorism,’ said Ximo Puig, head of Valencia’s regional government. ‘It goes beyond putting at risk our natural heritage – it directly attacks people.’
‘Everything was smouldering’