Wild fires

To add to the misery, firemen and members of Unidad Militar de Emergencias (UME) had to deal with two major wild fires in the region yesterday.

The worst one in La Nucia was still out of control when the newspaper LaVerdad went to press. It was apparently caused by a fallen electricity pylon which was also effecting supply to La Nucia, Benidorm, Finestrat, Polop and Alfàs del Pi. The strong gusts of wind were making the job of putting the fire out very difficult and making the use of helicopters impossible.

The second fire was in the the area between the Valencian coast and Vall d'Albaida. This was effecting the towns of Genovés, Barxeta and Benigánim. Again the strong winds and the difficulty in gaining access to the fire hampered attempts to extinguish it.

There was also a third fire in the region of L'Alcora (Castellón) in an area of pine trees and scrub which firemen were able to control.

The fire at La Nucia in the Marina Baixa region of Alicante is the one which is causing most concern. Between 14 and 15 thousand people had to be evacuated from their homes whilst firemen prepared to work all night in an attempt to gain control of the fire