Briton, 43, is arrested on suspicion of sparking huge forest fire near Costa Del Sol resort ‘when small bonfire he lit to burn rubbish got out of hand’
- The unnamed 43-year-old reportedly confessed the blaze had got out of hand
- The blaze affected part of an area known in Spanish as Cerro de San Isidro
- Brit was with second person whose nationality not known and was not arrested
A British man has been arrested on suspicion of starting a forest fire near the Costa del Sol tourist resort of Nerja which took two hours to bring under control.
The unnamed 43-year-old reportedly confessed the blaze had got out of hand after he lit a small fire to burn rubbish.
High winds and the dry ground helped fan the flames, which led to the mobilisation of three helicopters along with firefighters on the ground.
The blaze affected part of an area known in Spanish as Cerro de San Isidro, a small rocky hill between two rivers near the town of Nerja on the eastern end of the Costa del Sol.
A shrine to San Isidro, the patron saint of farmers, is on top of the hill.
A number of farmhouses are near to the area where the blaze started, although none had to be evacuated and residents were able to leave their properties without any intervention from the authorites,
A plume of smoke was visible from several miles. The alarm was raised around 12.30 today and the fire was brought under control around two hours later.
The Brit was with a second person whose nationality is not known and was not arrested.
He was held after several witnesses identified him as the person whose alleged negligence led to the out-of-control blaze.
He has been described as an expat rather than a holidaymaker.