A forest fire has forced the evacuation of residents in the Aigues municipality of Alicante Province on Monday morning.
The blaze was reported at 7.30 am in the Cabesot district of Aigues, which is classified as an area of high environmental value.
Nine fire crews have been mobilised from the San Vicente del Raspeig and Ibi stations plus teams from the Valencia region’s forest firefighters.
Municipal firefighters some 25 kilometres south at Alicante City are also being drafted in.
Strong winds have fanned the flames forcing a precautionary evacuation of an unspecified number of residents from the Sierra Marina and Atalaya urbanisations, due to the risk of the fire spreading to properties.
People are taking refuge at the Casa de Cultura in Aigues.
There have been times that air support to fight the blaze has had to be grounded with gusts reaching over 100 kms an hour in adjoining areas like Xixona.
Alicante Province is on high alert for fire risks due to the strong winds.
There have been no reports of any injuries.