Soldiers fanned out in southeastern Spain on Sunday to join the battle against a major forest fire burning for the fourth day, revitalized by stray embers that sparked a new hot spot.
The fire in Malaga province has destroyed almost 7,000 hectares (17,300 acres) of forest and triggered new evacuations, bringing the total number of displaced residents to around 2,500.
Plan Infoca, the Andalusian region agency in charge of firefighting efforts, described Sunday as a “key day” to control the fire.
On Sunday, authorities preventively evicted about 1,500 residents from the towns of Jubrique, Genalguacil and four other villages. More than 1,000 more people had been evacuated by the weekend from areas around the resort town of Estepona, which is popular with tourists and foreign expats.
An emergency brigade traveled from the Morón military base in southern Spain to join more than 300 firefighters and 41 water-launch aircraft fighting the flames.
The reinforcement was welcome. But firefighters like Rafael Fanega, who said the fire was still “out of control,” called for more boots on the ground to fight the flames.
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“I don’t see enough personnel deployed,” Fanega told The Associated Press, speaking at Jubrique after he was evacuated. “Some may see it differently, but this is how I see it.”
Some progress was seen on Saturday, when authorities said better weather conditions had helped them stabilize the perimeter of the fire, allowing them to focus on four hot spots.
A combination of hot, dry temperatures with strong winds created a perfect storm, turning the fire that started Wednesday night into a “hungry monster,” Alejandro Garcia, deputy chief of operations for Plan Infoca, said earlier this week.
“The power and strength of this forest fire is unusual for the type of fires that we are used to seeing in this country,” Garcia told reporters Sunday.
The firefighting agency released aerial footage showing plumes of smoke emerging from rough terrain, which it said made it difficult for crews to access on the ground. A 44-year-old firefighter died Thursday while trying to put out the fire.
Spain deploys military against forest fires, evacuates 2,500. #Forest fires # Spain
Authorities said they have evidence of arson and are investigating.
Forest fires are common in southern Europe during the hot, dry summer months. But they have been particularly numerous across the Mediterranean Sea this year, exacerbated by intense heat waves in August.
In Spain, more than 75,000 hectares (186,000 acres) of forest and scrub areas have burned in the first eight months of the year, according to Spain’s Ministry of Ecological Transition.
Climate scientists say there is little doubt that climate change due to the burning of coal, oil and natural gas it is causing more extreme events, such as heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods and storms.
Reference-www.nationalobserver.com