Holidaymakers on the popular Spanish coast of the Costa del Sol have been forced to evacuate hotels and villas after wildfires raged there overnight.
Flames reached the town of Elviria in the early hours and the wildfires are now heading for Marbella, which is at full capacity with late summer tourists.
Wildfires, caused by prolonged heatwaves, are seen edging closer to Marbella Hospital on the Costa del Sol
The blaze began in Coin, near Malaga on Thursday afternoon and quickly spread across the AP-7 highway.
Authorities in the resort asked thousands of residents and visitors to leave holiday homes after fire quickly spread across the coast.
One of the biggest evacuations was in Ojen, where 3,300 people have escaped. A campsite at Alpujata has also been emptied.
Spain has endured heatwaves throughout the summer posing a threat to areas vulnerable to wildfires.
There have already been blazes on the Spanish islands of La Gomera and Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, and wildfires in northern Catalonia, near the Pyrenees.
Inferno: Members of Spain's Civil Protection service search for people trapped as the huge fire rages in Elviria, near Malaga, southern Spain
Holidaymakers at risk: Rescuers look for people inside a chalet during a general evacuation in Elviria
Some 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres) have already been affected.
Hundreds of firefighters have been called to the area to battle the fires, with Spanish newspaper El Pais reporting that 17 aircraft are also being used to try to extinguish the flames.
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