As a wildfire burned nearby, tens of thousands of people, including British tourists, were forced to abandon a community on Spain’s Costa del Sol overnight.
Due to a rapidly expanding wildfire driven by 25mph gusts, the entire community of Benahavis, nestled in the hills roughly 10 miles north of Marbella, has been ordered to evacuate.
Late Wednesday, police closed the only route between Benahavis and the coast and drove about with loudspeakers, telling people to leave their houses and hotels with only their essential items.
British visitors are understood to be among the 3,000 individuals who have been evacuated thus far, with some staying in neighbouring San Pedro de Alcantara.
Three firefighters have been injured trying to contain the ‘out-of-control’ blaze, including one with burns to 25 per cent of his body.
Late Wednesday, police closed the only route between Benahavis and the coast and drove about with loudspeakers, telling people to leave their houses and hotels with only their essential items.
British visitors are understood to be among the 3,000 individuals who have been evacuated thus far, with some staying in neighbouring San Pedro de Alcantara.
Three firefighters were hurt while attempting to put out the ‘out-of-control’ fire, one of whom had 25 percent body burns.
Many residents were forced to sleep in their automobiles overnight.
Torre Tremores, an upscale home on the outskirts of Benahavis where Prime Minister Boris Johnson spent his holiday last year, is thought to have been damaged by the forced evacuation.
The army has been dispatched to assist firefighters in putting out the fire, which has already consumed roughly 5,000 acres of property.
The blaze was still ‘out of control’ this morning, though a predicted shift in wind direction in the coming hours could help to ease the situation.
‘The village is being evacuated,’ Benahavis Town Hall tweeted late Friday night in English and Spanish. Please dial 999 if you or someone you know has mobility issues.
‘Buses and taxis are available at the entrance to the village for those who require them.’
Elias Bendodo, an advisor of the president of the regional Andalucia government, said this morning: ‘The biggest problem here is the evolution of the wildfire, which is advancing at a speed of around 100 feet per minute. That’s very fast indeed.
‘The other problem is accessing the source of the blaze.’
Around 600 professionals are tackling the blaze. They include more than 200 members of Military Emergencies Unit UME, a branch of the Spanish Armed Forces.
Firefighting planes and helicopters have been put on standby, but are said to have been prevented so far from tackling the flames because of a temperature inversion which has reduced visibility.
The Infoca firefighting service confirmed: ‘At this moment in time there are areas where a temperature inversion is making it impossible for aerial units to work.
‘A plane is heading to the area to carry out a reconnaissance flight which will enable us to properly evaluate the situation.’
The blaze comes on the back of a devastating wildfire which raged through the hills behind Estepona near San Pedro for six days in September last year. 
The Sierra Bermeja wildfire led to more than 3,000 people being evacuated from their homes.
Firefighter Carlos Martinez Haro, 44, a father of two young daughters, died battling the flames.
