Tourists were stranded when a fire broke out on a cliff overlooking the iconic Kelingking Beach in Bali, Indonesia on Sunday, July 30.

The blaze began at the cliff's base at around 4:30 pm local time and rapidly spread upward, fanned by strong winds blowing onto shore. It razed shrubs and bushes, and threatened to engulf the steep stairway providing tourists access to the beach.

Firefighters responded to the incident an hour later and hosed down the fire from the top of the cliff. There were around 25 holidaymakers who were helped to safety.

Commissioner Ida Bagus Putra Sumerta, Head of the Nusa Penida Sector Police, said: 'The fire has scorched nearly two hectares of the cliff. This includes walking access.

'The tourists were trapped on the beach because the only way out was blocked by fire. The fire also caused thick smoke so that access roads were impassable.'

A tourist from France suffered a minor injury when he was struck by a falling rock.

Once the fire was under control, all of the beachgoers were safely evacuated at 7:30 pm with no casualties reported, Commissioner Ida said.

Meanwhile, Made Sulistiawati, Head of the Klungkung Tourism Office, said that the route to the beach is still usable by tourists.

He said: 'The route is safe, the wood supporting the stairs did not catch fire, so it's still suitable for use for a while.'

He added that a brush fire on Kelingking Beach had also occurred in 2018, with firefighters similarly having difficulties extinguishing it.

Authorities said they were investigating the cause of the Sunday fire, believed to have been sparked by a discarded lit cigarette.