Planes drop water on Spanish forests in desperate effort to control raging wildfires which have killed four, injured 100 and trapped thousands in their homes

Dash air tankers collect water from reservoir and use it to fight blazes in border area between France and northern Catalonia in Spain

Man died of a heart attack while dousing flames around his home in Llers

Father and daughter were killed when they jumped into the sea to escape fires on a road near Portbou

Some 140,000 residents of the region have been urged to stay indoors


Planes have begun dropping water on forests in Spain in an attempt to put out two raging wildfires which have killed four people, injured more than 100 and forced thousands of residents to stay indoors.



Dash air tankers are collecting water from a reservoir and using it to fight the fires which have devastated large parts of Catalonia, in the north-east of the country.

A teenage girl and her father died after they jumped into the sea from a 165ft cliff in a desperate attempt to escape the blazes.

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Emergency: Dash air tankers descend to collect water from the Boadellas reservoir near the village of Darnius in Figueres, Spain

Wildfires have been raging through north-eastern Spain. Four people have died and 100 others injured as firefighters battled to douse them Flames forced the French pair, three family members, and about 150 other tourists out of their vehicles as most were returning home. The group scrambled down hillsides toward the beach in the Costa Brava town of Portbou, said Deputy Mayor Elisabet Cortaba.

The family of five got separated from the rest of the group on their way down and ended up at the cliff edge with no way out as the fire advanced, fanned by heavy winds.

‘The fire started to close in on them and they couldn’t climb up or climb down,’ the mayor said, after speaking with witnesses. ‘The only way out was to jump into the sea.’ RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Next America's burning: Dazzling new map of U.S. wildfires over... Incredible 'tornado' which hit Oregon revealed to be a... Share this article Share The 60-year-old father died instantly after landing on rocks, and his 15-year-old daughter drowned, she said.

The mother was in a critical condition yesterday with a back injury, but the son and other daughter did not suffer life-threatening injuries. Police said the blaze at Portbou was probably sparked by someone throwing a lit cigarette out of a car along a small road inundated by vehicles heading to France.

Two other people were also killed by the fires, which have burned across 35 square miles, including one man who had a heart attack tackling flames around his home in Llers. The fires, fanned by strong winds, have caused transport chaos as they swept through parts of Catalonia, forcing the suspension of train services in Alto Ampurdan and the closure of several cross-border roads linking Barcelona with France. Mission: Planes are dropping water on forests in Catalonia in an attempt to put out the blazes which have caused four deaths and injured 100 Challenging: Strong winds have hindered efforts to control the blazes in north-eastern Spain Effort: A plane collects water in its attempt to fight the forest fires raging in the border area between France and northern Catalonia

A man had a heart attack and died while trying to put out the flames engulfing his home and a father and daughter died when they tried to escape More than eighty crews attended the fires in ller near La Junquera, close to the Spanish-French border. They struggled to keep them under control Some 15 other people, including an eight year-old girl, were taken to hospital after they also jumped off the cliff to avoid being burned A firefighter battles to extinguish the flames while more than 140,000 people have been ordered to remain in their homes. Motorists are also being warned to take care on the roads State broadcaster TVE said efforts were being made to reach the occupants of cars forced to stop on the highway to avoid driving into sections swept by flames Santiago Villa, mayor of Figueres, which houses the famous Salvador Dali museum, said he had ordered the city's 44,000 residents to stay indoors until further notice More than 140,000 people in the region have been ordered to remain in their homes and 80 fire crews have been deployed to fight the fires, which appear to have started close to the border with France.

'The situation on the roads of the area is very complicated,' the fire service said in a statement, which added that the main highway linking Spain with France through La Jonquera had been closed. State broadcaster TVE said efforts were being made to reach the occupants of cars forced to stop on the highway to avoid driving into sections swept by flames.

The fire service said the flames had spread through about 32,000 acres.

Santiago Villa, mayor of Figueres, which houses the famous Salvador Dali museum, said he had ordered the city's 44,000 residents to stay indoors until further notice.

The Spanish Interior Ministry said it had sent three specially equipped aircraft and an emergency unit from Zaragoza to aid Catalan firefighters.

But the aircraft were being hampered by the high winds.

Spain's rail company Renfe confirmed that the fires had forced the cancellation of international high-speed train services linking Catalonia with France using the Portbou and Pertus tunnels through the Pyrenees mountains.

A north wind called the Tramontana is commonly seen in mountainous northeastern Spain and its strong gusts, which can often exceed 100 mph, can spread fires rapidly across the heavily forested area. The Spanish Interior Ministry said it had sent three specially equipped aircraft and an emergency unit from Zaragoza to aid Catalan firefighters The aircraft sent to help extinguish the flames are being hampered by high winds but will continue in their efforts to try and put out the flames Spain's rail company Renfe confirmed that the fires had forced the cancellation of international high-speed train services linking Catalonia with France using the Portbou and Pertus tunnels through the Pyrenees mountains A north wind called the Tramontana is commonly seen in mountainous northeastern Spain and its strong gusts, which can often exceed 100 mph, can spread fires rapidly across the heavily forested area Some motorists were being warned to stop driving and wait for help as fires raged across the north-Eastern region of Spain Two of the victims were a 60-year-old man and his 15-year-old daughter, who had been traveling on a road near Portbou. Another man died after having a heart attack while trying to extinguish flames engulfing his home Some 15 other people, including an eight year-old girl, were taken to hospital after they also jumped off the cliff to avoid being burned to death The situation on the roads of the area is very complicated,' the fire service said in a statement, which added that the main highway linking Spain with France through La Jonquera had been closed Firefighters dressed in protective gear and masks battle to keep the raging fires under control. More than 80 crews were dispatched and are being assisted by air crews Raging: A wildfire approaches trucks in La Jonquera, Catalonia. Three people were killed as they tried to avoid the flames

Out of control: Smoke billows from the forest near the highway in La Jonquera

Tragedy: Twenty-four people were injured, including eight reported to be in a serious condition

Battle: Firefighters try to extinguish a wildfire Llers, where a man died of a heart attack while attempting to keep flames from his home

Fierce: The fires broke out near the French-Spanish border

Ferocious: Flames leap as a firefighter attempts to put out the fire

Blazing: A wildfire destroys the forest near La Junquera

A flock of 500 sheep were burned during one of the wildfires which took hold in Ller near La Junquera close to the Spanish-French border

Danger: Three people were killed and at least two dozen injured, but residents were urged to stay in their homes

Chaos: The fires caused major disruption on Catalonia's roads as sections of highways became impassable

Heat: The fires spread quickly as they were fanned by strong winds. Gusts in the region can often exceed 100mph

VIDEO: Firefighters battle the blaze!...











