The forest fire in Tarifa has been ‘stabilised’, according to firefighters, but there are still some difficult hours ahead.
The INFOCA service said in a post on X shortly after 7pm on Wednesday that it was working towards the reducing the inferno to the next phase, which is ‘controlled’.
Some 17 aircraft have been roped in to tackle the blaze, which first took hold in Cadiz on Tuesday following the reported explosion of a motorhome.
The flames spread in the hills of Torre de la Peña, behind the hugely popular resort of Tarifa.
The Red Cross said in a post on X after 11pm on Tuesday: ‘We are participating in the operation to assist the people affected by the Tarifa fire.’
It came after holidaymakers on Tarifa’s beaches shared footage while being evacuated, showing how the sky was turning black due to the smoke.
One woman names Adara wrote on X: ‘Tarifa is in flames, they have evacuated everyone, even from the chiringuitos.’
The spreading fire caused traffic chaos on Cadiz’s road networks, as 5,000 cars were ordered to leave at-risk areas.
According to the Andalucia firefighter service INFOCA, there were gusts of 20-25km/hr favouring the inferno’s spread.
The fire took hold very close to the N-340 highway and the Estrecho Natural Park – the former of which was partially closed between Las Piñas and Pedro Valiente.
Meanwhile, all bars, restaurants or hotels had to be evacuated between La Peña and Casas de Porros, reported local newspaper Europa Sur.
In an update at 9pm on Tuesday, INFOCA said a total of 17 aircraft and around a 100 personnel were working on stabilising the blaze.
The flames continued to burn late into Tuesday night, with one resident in the North African enclave of Tangier saying he could see the fire from his terrace.
According to the local police, the fire started in a motorhome at the Torre la Peña campsite, which had to be evacuated.
The flames then blew westward, away from the campsite, and spread rapidly through a hilly and grassland area where homes and tourist establishments are scattered – including the Wawa Hotel, which is reported to have been affected by the fire.
Several beach bars and chiringuitos were also evacuated due to the large amounts of ash being carried down to the shore.
The blaze was first reported at around 4pm on Tuesday.
Tarifa is often branded a ‘surfer’s paradise’ due to its extremely wide beaches and tall waves.
However, it is notoriously one of the windiest places in Spain, placing it at an increased risk of devastating wild fires.
