Crews in southern Spain face ‘complex’ wildfire for 5th day

By ARITZ PARRA
Associated Press

MADRID (AP) — Firefighting crews near southern Spain’s Costa del Sol were hoping much-needed rainfall to help them extinguish a major wildfire that has ravaged 7,700 hectares (19,000 acres) in five days and forced 2,600 to evacuate. Authorities are describing the blaze in a mountain range in Malaga province as an extreme “mega-fire” brought on by climate change. Spain is also seeing its rural areas lose population, leading to poor forest management. Official data shows that wildfires are getting bigger in Spain. In the first eight months of 2021, they consumed more forest land than the average during the past decade.