The devastating wildfire in southern Spain that claimed at least 12 lives has stopped spreading, allowing firefighters to gain the upper hand after days of battling the blaze.
The situation has stabilized, Juanma Moreno, the head of the regional government of Andalusia, said on Sunday.
Firefighting efforts are being aided by significantly weaker winds and higher humidity.
Around 500 firefighters, soldiers and other emergency personnel remain on the ground. The aim is to bring the fire fully under control in the coming hours. Official figures suggest a total of 7,000 hectares of woodland and scrubland have been destroyed.
Meanwhile, the search for any further victims continued. Emergency services and volunteers combed through the burnt area once again, while soldiers from the Military Emergency Unit, together with the Guardia Civil police force, checked remote houses and access routes.
Around 600 people who had previously been evacuated have now been allowed to return to their homes.
The remaining 1,000 or so, who had to leave their homes in the early hours of Thursday evening when the fire broke out, are still being accommodated in places such as relatives’ homes or hotels. They, too, are expected to be allowed to return home soon.
At 12 people lost their lives in the area during the night leading into Friday. They were trapped by the flames whilst attempting to flee, either in a vehicle or on foot. Eight people were injured.
A faulty power line is suspected to be the cause of the fire.