Firefighting planes drop water bombs on massive forest blaze near giant Benidorm theme park loved by British tourists
- Helicopters were seen circling the Sierra Gelda Mountain close to Aqualandia
- The fire started at around 6pm and the water park closed earlier than usual
- Smoke was visible from most parts of Benidorm including the water park
Firefighting planes have been forced to drop water bombs on a massive forest blaze near a huge Benidorm water park which is popular with British tourists.
Helicopters were seen circling the fire in the Sierra Gelada Mountain which is around 12 miles away from the popular Aqualandia water park.
The fire started at about 6pm for an unknown reason in the upper part of the Serra Gelada natural park, the emergency services have said.
Concerns have been heightened because of the dry conditions and the proximity to the Aqualandia water park, with the attraction having been closed earlier than normal because of the emergency.
The fire was pictured in the Sierra Gelada Mountains which are around 12 miles away from the water park
Smoke is visible from most parts of Benidorm and forest firefighters have joined the Benidorm crews, with at least four engines being sent out.
Four planes are also flying overhead to drop water because of the time needed for the fire crews to arrive on foot.
The emergency services say situation level 1 of the Forest Fire Extinguishment Plan has been established because of its proximity to the Aqualandia water park.
The Aqualandia water park in Benidorm, pictured above is the new Cyclon ride at the park
The fire could be seen from all around Benidorm and by those enjoying their time at the water park
Level one comes into force when places where there are people are involved.
Video footage of the fire, including by Brit Jack Richards, shows tourists inside the water park taking pictures of the smoke on the mountains behind them and of the firefighting operation.
A spokesperson from the Alicante fire brigade said the fire was burning in a ‘very steep’ and ‘hard to reach area”, requiring the use of planes. At around 7pm, a Twitter posting from the emergency services said the fire was now ‘under control’.
Earlier this year one of the world’s largest water slides opened at the water park, called the Cyclon.
The new features has a huge vortex tunnel measuring 65 feet in diameter and the ride itself measures around 656ft.