Spanish Firefighters Get Handle On 66,000-Acre Blaze - Reuters

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MADRID, Spain - "Hundreds of firefighters managed to control a forest fire that has destroyed huge areas of woodland since it started three days ago in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, officials said Friday.

The blaze has destroyed 66,000 acres of woodland and pasture in the provinces of Seville and Huelva and firemen are still in the area in case of fresh outbreaks, a spokeswoman for the fire service Infoca said.

An elderly couple died trying to escape the flames in their car on the first day of the fire and many farmers have been ruined by the loss of their grazing. More than 1,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. "The fire has been under control since 2 a.m. EDT this morning," the spokeswoman said.

Newspaper El Pais said the outbreak was the worst in the region since 1991 and El Mundo said the area burned was the size of 35,000 soccer fields."

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