A fire that broke out in a building near Alicante in Spain's southeast has killed three people, including a child, authorities said on Monday.

Fourteen other occupants of the building in Villajoyosa were evacuated and were being treated for smoke inhalation, a spokeswoman for the regional health authorities told AFP.

The fire, which started at around 2:15 am (0115 GMT), has been brought under control.

The blaze erupted less than two weeks after another fire killed 10 people in the port city of Valencia in the same region, in a tragedy that shocked the country.

The fire in Valencia devastated a 14-storey high-rise building and an adjoining 10-storey block which together housed 138 flats.

Experts said the building was covered with highly flammable cladding, which could account for the rapid spread of the blaze.

It prompted worried property owners to seek expert advice to ally fears that their own homes could be at risk.