Spanish wildfires kill three people

High winds fan flames and hamper firefighters' efforts in the Costa Brava tourist haven close to the French borderThree people have died after forest fires broke out in Girona province, north-east Spain.The area in Catalonia is close to the French border and home to one of the most popular beach destinations in Spain, the Costa Brava.Strong winds hindered firefighters' efforts on Sunday and have so far spread two fires over 13,000 hectares (22,000 acres).A man and his 15-year-old daughter were killed after jumping off a cliff to escape the flames, while a third person died of a heart attack. El Pa�s newspaper said 19 people had been injured.About 80km (50 miles) of roads have been cut off in the area, a big artery for holidaymakers making their way to and from southern France in the coastal province. Residents were being told to stay at home, while the winds were pushing the fires towards Figueres, a town of around 50,000 people.Train services in the region were suspended and several cross-border roads linking Barcelona with France were closed because of the advancing flames, a regional government spokesman, Felip Puig, said on Sunday.Santiago Villa, the mayor of Figueres, which houses the Salvador Dal� museum, said he had ordered the 44,000 residents to stay indoors until further notice.The fire service said in a statement that more than 80 teams had been deployed to combat the wildfires, which appear to have started close to the border with France.The interior ministry said it had sent three specially equipped aircraft and an emergency unit from Zaragoza to aid Catalan firefighters.State broadcaster TVE said in a late news bulletin that high winds were making it difficult for firefighting aircraft to work at their full potential.Eight of the injured were in serious condition, TVE said.SpainEuropeWildfiresNatural disasters and extreme weatherguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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