‘It’s a vicious circle’: Spanish wildfire blamed on rural depopulation and climate change

Old farming methods, which created natural breaks to help stop the spread of fires, have been abandoned as more people move to the cities, writes Graham Keeley

Thousands have fled the resort town of Estepona on the Costa del Sol (Getty Images)

Spain’s worst wildfire in recent memory was finally brought under control on Tuesday after claiming the life of one firefighter and forcing the evacuation of thousands. Fire chiefs and experts said the “super forest fire” was accelerated by rural depopulation and the climate crisis.

The blaze in the Sierra Bermeja mountains above the Costa del Sol resort of Estepona, which destroyed over 7,700 hectares (19,000 acres) of woods and shrubs, was halted after six days, helped by light rain through the night.

Despite the efforts of 500 firefighters and 51 water-dropping planes and helicopters to bring the fire under control, it spread across villages in the mountain, forcing the evacuation of about 2,600 people.