Brit killed as hundreds of expats flee wildfire
Spanish authorities suspect blaze was started deliberately
HUNDREDS of Britons have been forced to flee their homes and find shelter in evacuation centres as a wildfire rages in southern Spain.
The charred body of one man, understood to be a 78-year-old British expat, was found in a toolshed beside a home east of Marbella, in the Costa Del Sol region.
Strong winds have fanned the flames and Spanish authorities suspect the blaze was started deliberately.
More than 300 firefighters were battling the flames, which some witnesses said were up to 50ft high, and 31 planes and helicopters were dumping water on the blaze.
The fire broke out on Thursday near the port city of Malaga and has spread several miles along hilly ground behind the coast.
At least a dozen villas have been engulfed in flames and two people were reported to have suffered serious burns as they attempted to flee the fires.
Frank McGuinness, a retired doctor originally from Birmingham now living in Alhaurin el Grande, watched the wildfire sweep towards his villa.
He said: “Flames were leaping high into the air. It was raging along at a huge speed. Very spectacular and dramatic.
“Now the sky is full of smoke, completely blotting out the sun.”
Some 4000 people in total have left their homes as a result of the fire, which officials said was started in the town of Coin.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We have deployed consular staff to visit evacuation centres and they are providing assistance to British
Flames were leaping high into the air. The fire was raging along at a huge speed
residents who have had to leave their homes.
“We are working closely with the Spanish authorities who are handling the evacuation centres and communications with residents.”
Marbella is one of Europe’s most luxurious seaside destinations, its normally green hillsides studded with mansions and palaces belonging to aristocrats, the rich and famous.
High profile residents have included Scottish actor Sean Connery.