Madrid, Jun 9 (AP) Emergency agencies deployed almost 1,000 firefighters, military personnel and support crews on Thursday to fight a wildfire in southern Spain that has forced the evacuation of some 2,000 people amid fears that torrid weather may feed the blaze.

Authorities raced against the clock in the dry, hilly area of Andalucia as Spain's AEMET weather service said the country could be on the verge of a heatwave.

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Temperatures were forecast to reach well over 30 degrees Celsius and to increase over the weekend.

Crews sought to take advantage of lower temperatures and more humid conditions overnight that saw the flames quiet down, according to the regional firefighting service Infoca and the Andalucia regional government. Seven water-dropping helicopters and a coordinating plane were on standby.

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Spain's Emergency Military Unit, which is assigned to help civilian forces with major incidents, sent 233 personnel and more than 80 vehicles to the area, authorities said.

People were evacuated as a precaution late on Wednesday from five different locations across the province of Malaga, with most sheltering with relatives or in local hotels, officials said.

The blaze injured three firefighters after it broke out Wednesday amid gusting winds; one suffered burns on 25 per cent of his body.

Spain's worst wildfire last year ravaged the same rugged area inland from the coastal resort town of Marbella.

Nearly 10,000 hectares (24,00 acres) burned before the fire was finally put out after 46 days. One firefighter died in the blaze. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)