Shropshire holidaymaker captures Spain fire drama
[gallery] A holidaymaker from Shropshire has captured dramatic images of a raging wildfire in Spain that has forced hundreds of British ex-pats to flee their homes. There are reports one British pensioner had died as others sought refuge in evacuation centres.
The inferno took hold at the Alhaurin Golf Resort near Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol.
Elis Hughes, from Ellesmere, who is on holiday with his family, snapped the incredible pictures. They show a team of helicopters swooping down in to the course's water trap to carry the water back to the fire 500 metres away.
Click to the right of the image above for more photos
Remarkably, golfers continued their rounds while aircraft frantically tried to douse the flames.
Mr Hughes said: "We were getting a bit anxious that if the wind shifted the fire might head towards us."
The 44-year-old anaesthetist said: "The helicopters were going backwards and forwards from the lake to the fire.
"They would hover over the lake on the golf course before lowering these buckets into the water and collecting it. A lot of the golfers didn't seem that fazed by it and just carried on walking around the course."
Mr Hughes, son Joe, 15, and daughter Libby, 12, were settling down for the evening at his uncle's villa when they saw the blaze break out.
He said: "We spotted this fire across the valley and as the evening progressed a strong northerly wind picked up and the fire seemed to hop from one area to another. By the end of the evening it was covering quite a large area.
"Just the day before, the neighbours who have lived here for years were saying how they were surprised they hadn't seen a fire this year. They said this one was the biggest they've ever seen."
Spanish authorities suspect the blaze was started deliberately.
Andalucia's regional government said the charred body of a British man was found 'in a tool shed' near the town of Ojen.
The Foreign Office said 'several hundred' Britons had been evacuated, including about 300 who had relocated to shelters. Some 4,000 people have left their homes due to the fire, which officials said started in the town of Coin.
