UPDATE: FIRE HAS BEEN STABILISED, RURAL WORKER PLACED UNDER INVESTIGATION

More than 100 people have been evacuated after a fast-moving wildfire broke out in Cadiz province.

The flames are raging in the hills near Grazalema, forcing residents and tourists from homes and hotels as firefighters battle the blaze.

Andalucia’s regional minister Antonio Sanz said a total of 109 people had been evacuated as a precaution.

The group includes 60 guests from the Fuerte Grazalema hotel, 40 people from Puerto del Alamillo and a further nine residents from the Vaguetas and Ribera del Gaidovar areas.

The nearby Tambor del Llano hotel was also evacuated, although officials said there were no guests staying there at the time.

Sanz said emergency crews had successfully protected the Fuerte Grazalema hotel despite the advancing flames.

‘We have managed to guarantee the safety of the population and the Fuerte hotel, which has been saved,’ he said.

Two roads remain closed because of the fire: the A-372 and the CA-9123.

Residents evacuated from Ribera del Gaidovar are being temporarily accommodated in the nearby town of Zahara de la Sierra, where a public hall has been opened to receive them.

Sanz described the wildfire as ‘initially complex’, explaining that strong winds of up to 40km/hr fuelled the blaze during its early stages.

However, he said firefighters had made progress.

‘We are bringing the left flank under control, while work continues on the right flank with the reinforcement of crews from Sevilla and Granada,’ he said.

Meanwhile, Grazalema mayor Carlos Javier Garcia urged residents to remain calm, warning that the Ribera area remains the most challenging part of the fire for emergency services.

Firefighters continue working to prevent the blaze from spreading further amid difficult summer conditions.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.