Spain fire destroys 4,000 hectares, hundreds flee

Wed Jul 15, 2009 2:14pm EDT

MADRID, July 15 (Reuters) - Hundreds of people have fled a wild fire in southern Spain which has destroyed more than 4,000 hectares in the last 24 hours, local authorities said on Wednesday.

The blaze, which started on Tuesday and is believed to have been caused by lightning, has raged across Sierra Cabrera national park since Tuesday causing evacuations from the Turre municipality, the Andalucia local government said.

High winds driving the blaze are expected to drop in the next few hours giving the emergency services a chance to bring the fire under control, the government said. (Reporting by Inmaculada Sanz; Writing by Paul Day; Editing by Matthew Jones)





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