A Spanish official in Ibiza says some 800 people, including British and German tourists, have been evacuated from homes and hotels because of the worst forest fire ever recorded on the Mediterranean resort island.
Regional government emergency situations spokeswoman Asuncion Saiz says the fire that started on Wednesday has now burned about 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) of pine forest in the north of the island. Although Saiz insisted that at no time were locals or tourists in danger from the fire, around 300 local people were evacuated from their homes and about 500 tourists were shifted from their hotels to other lodgings by the tour operators. No casualties have been reported
500 fire fighters and 15 water-dumping planes are battling the blaze.
