Popular tourist resort close to forest wildfire in Ibiza

Tue, 08 Aug, 2017 - 20:50

Wildfire has torn through parts of forest near a popular Irish tourist resort in Ibiza.

Flames licked through trees near San Antonio, a hot nightlife spot on the west coast of the Balearic island, sending heavy columns of smoke into the sky.

Videos posted online show helicopters and planes shuttling water and dropping it on the conflagration, which was said to be under control by 7.30 pm.

Temperatures soared past 30C on Tuesday, with the blaze starting around 4pm according to witnesses, and grew quickly. There are no reports of injures.

@SkyNews ibiza San Antonio wild fires @ProSyndicate pic.twitter.com/bpflQwfTad
— OLEX (@oLex_Clip) August 8, 2017

Recent graduate from the UK Jenna Scott, 21, who is in nearby Ocean Beach, said the emergency response was "pretty quick", adding: "We saw the fire through the trees which was very worrying... it looked like it spread very, very quickly.

"As scary as it is, the helicopter team seem to be slowly but surely putting the blaze out. It looks like it has completely died out now."

Roads were cordoned off and access around the popular nightlife hub was restricted as authorities worked to make it safe.

Student Emily Hood, 19, said: "When we came out of our hotel, there was quite a bit of smoke and we could see around two actual fires but around an hour or so later it had definitely spread.

"The emergency services have been really, really good."

At least one hotel was evacuated, with guest Alison Cope posting on Twitter: "Big fire close by. Not allowed back into hotel just yet. We are safe and everything is okay".

The tweet contained an image of a white hotel shrouded by dark smoke against a plain blue sky.

A series of forest fires have burned through parts of European countries like France, Italy and Portugal in recent weeks amid high temperatures and dry conditions.