Story By: Lisa-Maria Goertz, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Central European News

A huge fire swept the mountains of southern Spain, burning 444 acres of forest before emergency services managed to get it under control.

The fire took place in Sierra Cabrera, in the southeastern Spanish province of Almería.

According to local media, 150 fire officers worked all night to control the fire which was accelerated by high temperatures and wind in the region.

Authorities posted a video showing aerial images of the fire which they confirmed had been stabilised.

The video shows smoke billowing up in various columns from the mountains with the sea in the background.

Another video was shared by the fire service with the post: “When we see these images taken from the ACO-4 Coordination and Surveillance Plane, you understand why we do not have heavy vehicles in the fire…vertigo slopes.”

The mayoress of Mojacar, Rosa Cano, told local media: “We still don’t know what could have started the fire.”

According to media sources, the flames were first spotted on Sunday at 14.30.

Authorities reportedly alerted nearby villages to prepare for possible evacuation and deployed 12 aerial vehicles made up of planes and helicopters to hose the flames and control the spread of the fire.

Around 150 officers worked all through the night to get the fire under control.

According to local media, the fire has been stabilised and fire services remain in the area to ensure it remains under control.

Last year Spain experienced the worst wildfires the country had seen in 20 years due to exceptionally high temperatures reaching over 40 degrees celsius.

Climate scientists said that the 2019 heatwave is closely linked to the climate emergency and that we should prepare as much as possible for extreme weather events which will become more common over the coming years.