Three killed in border forest fire
Father and daughter die as they jump from cliff to flee flames surrounding their car
THREE French people have died in north-east Spain and at least 21 were injured in a massive forest fire that covers an area the size of Paris on the Mediterranean border with France.
Pushed by strong north-west Tramontane winds that are reaching 90kph, the fire cut the main A7 Perpignan-Figueras cross-border road, trapping people in their cars, and the main cross-border rail and TGV line.
Smoke from the fires is said to have reached Barcelona, 120km south.
Two people died as they jumped into the sea to escape flames that trapped their car on the nearby N260 coastal road near Portbou, the Catalonian interior minister said. The 60-year-old man and his 15-year-old daughter drowned after leaping from a cliff edge.
A 75-year-old French man died from a heart attack as flames approached his house near Llers, north-west of Figueras.
More than 20 people have been reported injured, with seven serious, including one French man trapped in his car who received 80% burns.
The fire, which comes after Spain's driest winter in 70 years, started in a car park in the border town of Perthus yesterday lunchtime and the flames were blown into Spain by the winds. The fire front is being pushed forward at 6kph.
Firefighters have managed to control the flames on the French border and one outbreak near Portbou had also been controlled but a much larger one is still raging further inland along the E15 road from La Jonquera and to Figueras. It is now 10km from Figueras.
Catalan authorities could not initially use firefighting planes and helicopters as the wind was too strong but it dropped slightly this morning and water was now being dropped directly on to the flames.
The Figueras mayor has ordered the 44,000 residents to stay indoors with windows and doors shut, as have councils in La Jonquera, Biure and Perthus. Nearly 100 people - including 75 children - were also evacuated from a holiday camp near Sant Climent Sescebes.
French roads travel organisation Bison Futé has advised drivers intending to head to Spain to take the Andorra border route from Perpignan
