Daily Times

Firefighters from Spain and France succeeded on Saturday in containing a wildfire near the countries’ shared Mediterranean coastal border, after winds dropped enough to allow water bomber planes to fly. But officials in the southern region of Andalucia, further to the west, said firefighters were battling another blaze Saturday.

More than 130 people had been evacuated from several villages overnight as strong winds fanned the flames around Portbou, a hilly forested area on the Spanish side of the border that is popular with tourists. Spanish forestry rangers said the fire, which started on Friday, had destroyed around 573 hectares (1,400 acres) of land around Portbou, which has a cross-border rail service to France. An official from the Catalonia regional government said on Saturday afternoon the fire had stopped spreading and the evacuation order hand been lifted.

Residents should still stay at home and avoid unnecessary travel, officials said. Around 300 firefighters from Catalonia and a dozen French fire engine crews teamed up to tackle the blaze. They said winds had dropped sufficiently to allow water bombers and helicopters to intervene but could not say how long it could take to bring the fire completely under control.