BREAKING NEWS

Wildfire raging in Spain forces more than 900 to flee, a firefighter dies

A wildfire has forced the evacuation of more than 900 people from around the southern Spanish resort of Estepona, local authorities said on Thursday.

A 44-year-old firefighter died while working on the wildfire, regional environment chief Carmen Crespo told journalists.

The blaze started on Wednesday around 9:30 p.m. and has since burned through around 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) of the densely forested area known as the Sierra Bermeja, according to the emergency services.

A total of 939 people have been evacuated from four communities in Estepona, which is popular with British retirees and holidaymakers, and one in neighboring Benahavis, authorities said.