MADRID, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of firemen and members of Spain's Military Emergency Response Unit (UME) worked through Sunday night and into Monday morning to contain a wildfire which started on Saturday night on the borders of the Donana National Park, southwest Spain, Spanish media reported.
The fire, which comes barely a week after wildfires killed 64 people in neighboring Portugal, saw over 2,000 people evacuated from nearby campsites, hotels and a residence for recovering drug addicts and also led to the closure of most roads in the area.
Sunday saw dramatic scenes with around 50,000 people stranded in the coastal resort of Matalascanas, as flames caused the road to the town to be cut.
Images posted on social media showed a large plume of smoke hanging in the sky with the flames clearly visible in the distance.
Firemen were able to reopen roads in the region at around 1:30 a.m. local time and have so far been able to prevent the flames reaching the Donana National Park.
Monday morning began with 200 firemen, plus 244 members of the UME working to extinguish the three main focal points of fire with the help of 15 fire engines, heavy machinery to clear fire-breaks and seven aircraft and helicopters.
Perimeters have been established around two of these focal points, with only one left to be brought under control, while weather conditions are reported to be "favorable."
Donana is home to over 400 different species, including the endangered Iberian lynx and the Spanish imperial eagle.
Spanish Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido and President of the Andalusian Regional Government, Susana Diaz are expected to visit the zone on Monday, while investigations continue into the cause of the fire after Diaz commented on Sunday that it could have been provoked intentionally.