VIDEO: Tourists evacuated as wildfire sweeps through Costa Blanca resort
Thick plumes of black smoke were visible across Benidorm from the fire which broke out beside the AP-7 motorway
🔥 El #IFBenidorm afecta a vegetación junto a la propia autopista #AP7 y a alguna vivienda diseminada, lo que ha obligado al CCE @Generalitat a establecer la Situación 1 del #PEIF 🌲 pic.twitter.com/XDCqlLrwIS
— VOST Comunitat Valenciana (@VOSTcvalenciana) August 10, 2024
A forest fire which broke out in Benidorm on the afternoon of Saturday August 10 forced the closure of the AP-7 motorway in both directions, and hundreds of tourists were evacuated from the Terra Natura Benidorm zoo and water park as a precaution.
The DGT also blocked off the CV-70 between Benidorm and La Nucia shortly after 7pm and although the flames were brought under control a couple of hours later, several patrols from as far as Denia and San Vicente remained on site in case any hot spots reignited.
Alicante was sweltering through one of the hottest days of the year when the scrubland beside this busy main road ignited. The first flames were spotted on the right-hand side of the road towards Valencia, at kilometre 649, but they quickly jumped to the other side of the road and spread through the brush.
As firefighters tackled the blaze on the ground and from the air, holidaymakers were rushed out of a packed Terra Natura.
“They ordered us out of the water park because of the fire,” one park guest explained.
According to a spokesperson from the fire department, the flames reached several rural homes and spread “rapidly” due to “the amount of forest mass”. In all, around 30 people were evacuated from their houses on Saturday evening.
The department posted an update on social media, confirming that “After many hours of effort last night around 9.30pm we were able to stabilise the Benidorm fire.
“The development of the extinction work during the night has been favourable.”
It was eventually extinguished completely at 9:55am on Sunday August 11, according to the Alicante Provincial Fire Brigade Consortium.
Image: Bomberos de Alicante
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