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Fire brought under control |
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Firemen on Sunday brought under control the fire that charred more than 700 hectares (1,800 acres) of a nature reserve and forced the evacuation of nearly 7,000 people in the povince of Valencia.
The fire near the mountainous Sierra Calderona area was apparently a case of arson, said Francisco Camps, president of the Valencia regional government.
“A delinquent may have tried to raze a nature park, but the firefighters worked exceptionally well. They are the best,” Camps said.
People evacuated in Naquera and other villages were allowed to return to their homes, officials said. Firefighters continue to work against the blaze but it was no longer advancing toward the villages, they said.
In the first seven months of the year, forest fires killed four people and burned 86,000 hectares (215,000 acres) of land around Spain, the environmental protection department of the Civil Guard said. |
