Firefighters supported by helicopters are fighting for a third day to beat off on of the largest recorded wildfires in Ibiza.
After an all-night battle waged by fire crews, helped by increased humidity and calmer winds, the blaze was ‘active but more stable,’ the regional government of the Balearic Islands said in a statement.
More than 1,500 hectares of vegetation have been scorched in the brushfire, which broke out near the town of Sant Joan de Labritja in the north of the Mediterranean island.
About 500 firefighters fought ked the blaze from the ground and air today, deploying seven civilian and military helicopters and two planes, the government said.
As a safety measure, the island authorities have now evacuated a total 300 people - including 200 guests relocated from the Paradise Beach hotel in the northeastern resort of Portinatx, it said.
A power cut blacked out 1,800 homes during the night, but electricity had been restored to most by mid-morning.
Police said they detained a 50-year-old Spanish national of Argentine origin yesterday on suspicion of starting the fire accidentally with a smoker he was using on a beehive.
