A forest fire in Benidorm’s Sierra Helada this Wednesday afternoon has led to the evacuation of 3.000 people from the Aqualandia and Mundomar theme parks as a precaution.

It was thought that the parks were not at risk, as the winds were fanning the flames in the opposite direction. The evacuation was pure precaution in case the winds changed direction.

The 200 residents of three nearby urbanisations were also told to leave their homes, but were allowed back later in the afternoon when the flames threatening their homes were brought under control.

The fire broke out near Rincon de Loix at around 16:00, where fire fighters at the scene quickly managed to stop the flames from advancing any further.

There has been no confirmation on the size of area affected, although the situation there was described as favourable, with a perimeter established around the blaze.

The forest fire was brought under control at around 19:00 after wiping out an estimated area of four hectares of scrub and woodland, according to the Emergency Coordination Center.