Tourists flee Spanish wildfires

DRAMATIC footage has emerged showing how dozens of terrified tourists scrambled down a Spanish hillside in a desperate attempt to escape a raging wildfire that was apparently started by a tossed cigarette.

Tragically, a father and daughter plummeted to their deaths from the steep hillside in Portbou, just five kilometres from the French border, as they tried to reach the waters of the Mediterranean.

A cigarette tossed from a car is believed to have started the fire, which quickly spread to woods along the road before officials could shut the thoroughfare, Deputy Mayor Elisabet Cortaba told the Associated Press.

Around 150 people were soon running from their vehicles and down into the rocky terrain towards the beach.

Tourists abandon their vehicles and make their way down the hillside in Portbou on the Costa Brava as the wildfire rages. Source:Supplied

Five members of a French family abandoned their car and stumbled through the thick smoke as the wildfire closed in on them, the Associated Press reported. 

Instead of a beach, they found themselves at the edge of a cliff with no choice but to jump or try to climb down.

The 60-year-old father died instantly when he hit submerged rocks, and his 15-year-old daughter drowned, Mayor Cortaba told the Associated Press. 

The deadly northern regional wind phenomenon called "Tramontana" led to intense gusts in the heavily forested area, spreading the blaze quickly.

Two others were also killed by the fires in northeastern Spain, which is enduring one of its driest summers on records, including a man who had a heart attack while fighting a fire at his property.

Many of the tourists who dashed down the hillside suffered injuries ranging from broken bones and burns to smoke inhalation, Ms Cortaba said.

"The only way out was to flee and head down toward the sea," she said.

original: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/tourists-flee-spanish-wildfires/story-fndo48ca-1226434638122