A wildfire that has killed at least 12 people in southern Spain was close to being brought under control on Sunday, allowing hundreds of evacuated residents to return home as firefighters worked to fully stabilise the blaze, offficials said.
Regional emergency chief Antonio Sanz said late Saturday that about 600 of the nearly 1,500 people evacuated from the fire zone in Almería province had been allowed to return after firefighters made significant progress containing the blaze.
“The attack carried out today and the stabilisation of much of the perimeter have made it possible to adopt these measures and continue moving, always with the utmost caution, toward a return to normality,” Sanz said in a statement issued by the regional government of Andalusia.
The improved outlook followed a day of better weather conditions with calmer winds and higher air humidity that allowed firefighters to mount a direct assault on the fire.
Justice Minister Felix Bolanos, said Saturday that crews had taken advantage of favourable wind and humidity conditions to move closer to bringing the wildfire under control.
The burned area remained at about 6,600 hectares (16,300 acres) after the fire made no further advances Saturday, he said.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is scheduled to visit the devastated area on Monday.
