Massive wildfire strikes Spanish holiday hotspot Murcia, forcing evacuations

A massive wildfire has struck a Spanish holiday hotspot forcing residents to flee their homes.

The blaze began in Los Garres, Murcia, in southern Spain and had burned through 177 hectares of land by the end of Wednesday, according to officials. Around 100 residents had been evacuated due to the threat, with hundreds of emergency personnel including military units, aircraft and firefighters joining an urgent operation to control the fire.

At least one person was treated for burn injuries according to a regional emergency response coordination centre.

A 300-metre front of flames covered the upper hillsides of the region, while locals reported seeing flames up to 65 feet high, according to the Spanish Sur newspaper.

Authorities reassured residents that there was no risk to residents or properties.

Those evacuated have since been permitted to return to their properties as the fire was under control as of Thursday.

An alarm was raised at around 3pm on Tuesday afternoon after emergency services received over 200 calls reporting of the danger near the Cresta Del Gallo area, a popular hiking spot.

Spain’s president Pedro Sanchez wrote on Tuesday in the aftermath of the blaze: “We are following with concern the progress of the fire in the municipality of Murcia, which has led to the evacuation of several homes.

"The government is mobilising all the requested resources, including the UME and aerial support assets, to assist in extinguishing the fire.”

By Wednesday, Murcia’s regional president Fernando Lopez Miras, confirmed that the blaze had “stabilised” although a force of 150 personnel remained in place.

“The Los Garres fire is already stabilised,” he wrote in a post on X. “I reiterate my thanks to all the personnel who have participated in the firefighting efforts. A force of 150 personnel remains in place to secure the perimeter and suppress any possible flare-ups.”

Pictures of the aftermath of the wildfire shows the charred remains of acres of land. Aerial footage shows the hundreds of trees blackened with smoke still billowing from the hilltops.

One local had told Sur at the time: “The whole sky is grey. You can see the smoke from here and it’s still burning.”

Another person explained that torrential rain across the region and throughout Spain had meant that the area had been especially green but had not been cleared. They said that some residential areas came very close to being impacted by the blaze.

Murcia attracts significant numbers of tourists and is a popular hotspot for international visitors.