Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Deliberate fire destroys valuable pine trees

It seems that a number of the fires that have ravaged Spain and other Mediterranean countries have been started deliberately. Sadly, that is not an uncommon occurrence. When Pamela’s father was a Fire Officer, he found one of his retained staff was lighting fires in the countryside near West Kirby. You could conclude that the retained officer was doing this to earn extra money but it was more than that; he was an arsonist and loved watching fires burn.

Yesterday there was a fire at Molino Blanco which burnt over 1,000 square metres of pine trees and scrubland. Firemen from Torrevieja arrived first and worked to stop the fire spreading to the pine trees and sand dunes at La Mata. They were later assisted by firemen from Almoradí, Pilar de la Horadada  and the forest brigade of the  Council of Environment who are located at Guardamar del Segura  during the summer months.

Between them, the fire-fighters managed to get the blaze under control within three quarters of an hour and thus save the problem from getting worse. As it was, thirty protected trees of a variety which grow in sand dunes were lost.

An investigation is underway to find the cause of the fire. Initial findings suggest that it was started deliberately.

I don’t think I will live long enough to understand the workings of some peoples’ minds.

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