<p>Authorities in southern Spain say that rain has helped to bring under control a major wildfire that ravaged 7,800 hectares (19,200 acres) of land despite more than five days of intense firefighting work by land and air.</p>.<p>Juan Manuel Moreno, the president of the Andalusia region, said in a tweet early on Tuesday that “the rain that has been falling for some hours has been the best ally of the intense and admirable work of the crews.”</p>.<p>But he said that the blaze in Sierra Bermeja, a mountain range close to the tourist-magnet Costa del Sol, is not over and that work to completely extinguish the flames is complex.</p>.<p>Authorities say they have reasons to believe arson is behind the fire, which started in various hotspots late on Wednesday in an area that environmentalists say harboured a unique ecosystem. Spain's prosecutor's office has launched an investigation.</p>.<p>The virulence of the fire, fanned by high temperatures and strong winds, surprised authorities, with a veteran forestry technician describing it as a “hungry monster” that reacted despite hundreds of firefighters, soldiers and dozens of air-dropping aircraft deployed to the area.</p>.<p>A 44-year-old firefighter died Thursday while trying to extinguish the blaze.</p>.<p>Around 2,600 residents have been evacuated, but most of them had returned to their homes by Tuesday morning, said the regional fire extinguishing service, Plan Infoca.</p>.<p>Experts with the agency have said that the Sierra Bermeja wildfire will set a precedent as the first mega-fire that Spain suffers as a result of a warming planet and the progressive abandonment of rural areas.</p>.<p>Official data show that wildfires are getting bigger in Spain. In the first eight months of 2021, they consumed more forest land — 75,000 hectares or 186,000 acres — than the average during the past decade.</p>
<p>Authorities in southern Spain say that rain has helped to bring under control a major wildfire that ravaged 7,800 hectares (19,200 acres) of land despite more than five days of intense firefighting work by land and air.</p>.<p>Juan Manuel Moreno, the president of the Andalusia region, said in a tweet early on Tuesday that “the rain that has been falling for some hours has been the best ally of the intense and admirable work of the crews.”</p>.<p>But he said that the blaze in Sierra Bermeja, a mountain range close to the tourist-magnet Costa del Sol, is not over and that work to completely extinguish the flames is complex.</p>.<p>Authorities say they have reasons to believe arson is behind the fire, which started in various hotspots late on Wednesday in an area that environmentalists say harboured a unique ecosystem. Spain's prosecutor's office has launched an investigation.</p>.<p>The virulence of the fire, fanned by high temperatures and strong winds, surprised authorities, with a veteran forestry technician describing it as a “hungry monster” that reacted despite hundreds of firefighters, soldiers and dozens of air-dropping aircraft deployed to the area.</p>.<p>A 44-year-old firefighter died Thursday while trying to extinguish the blaze.</p>.<p>Around 2,600 residents have been evacuated, but most of them had returned to their homes by Tuesday morning, said the regional fire extinguishing service, Plan Infoca.</p>.<p>Experts with the agency have said that the Sierra Bermeja wildfire will set a precedent as the first mega-fire that Spain suffers as a result of a warming planet and the progressive abandonment of rural areas.</p>.<p>Official data show that wildfires are getting bigger in Spain. In the first eight months of 2021, they consumed more forest land — 75,000 hectares or 186,000 acres — than the average during the past decade.</p>