Thousands evacuated as Spanish forest fire rages

The fire, whipped up by strong winds and high summer temperatures, is out of control and has devasted a large area of the Calblanque natural park, on the coast to the east of the historic city of Cartagena.
About 2,500 residents from the town of Portman have been evacuated.
“We are talking about hundreds of hectares reduced to dust,” Portman Mayor Francisco Bernabe told national radio station SER.
“For the moment the fire is still raging and dangerous,” he said.
Emergency services are bringing in fire-fighting planes to drop water on the flames.