20 minutes agoSpain faces year's largest fire, burns 12,000 hectares in Zaraza
Periskopi(41 minutes ago)
(41 minutes ago)Spain is facing three active fires this Friday, and another already extinct, on a day marked by high temperatures, strong winds, and moisture shortages. The most serious is the fire in the Cinco Villas region, in the province of Zaragoza, which has become the country's largest fire of the year after burning some 12,000 hectares.
Declared Wednesday, the fire remains the highly active “” and has spread significantly during Thursday night and the early hours Friday, according to authorities. Its perimeter has reached 60 miles [60 km] and has forced the evacuation of six villages - Ores, Asin, Lageria, Malpica de Arba, Uncastillo (in Zaragoza) and Petilla de Aragón (in Narrea). In total, over 1,100 people have been affected.
The flames are mainly involving the Cerro de Cinco Villas area, a pine forest near Los Robles and San Lorenzo neighbourhoods. The local council has opened the sports gym as a shelter, while the Military Emergency Unit (UME) has deployed forces to help extinguish the fire.
Civil Guard arrested a man suspected of causing fire Thursday. Residents announced the authorities after seeing a person leave the area under suspicious circumstances.
At the moment of his arrest, the suspect had a backpack carrying several items, including flammable products. After his identification, police discovered that he had criminal precedents for similar works in other provinces of Spain.
The Council for Environment, Agriculture and Home Affairs of the Madrid Community, Carlos Novilo, announced that the regional government will present itself as an indictment party in the judicial process against those arrested. According to him, this is done to protect the region's natural heritage, which is seriously endangered “by a unconscious person who has caused a large fire and has endangered people's lives”.
Madrid Community President Isabel Díaz Ayuso supported this decision and recalled that the regional government has adopted rules allowing it to present itself as an plaintiff side in cases that damage natural heritage.
Roads A-1204, CV-813, A-1202, CV-841 and CV-628 remain closed, although power supplies have been restored to all affected areas. 400 ground crews and 19 air vehicles participated in the operation Thursday, while firemen focused on the protection of residences in Uncastillo, writes Euronews, broadcast Periscopi.
