Apr
2
Firefighters working to extinguish a blaze in a national park in Spain’s northwestern Galicia region had the fire mostly under control on Monday, the regional government of Galicia said.
Thirty firefighter brigades backed by eight helicopters and seven planes were battling the fire in the Fragas do Eume national park which has burned around 750 hectares (1,850 acres) since it started on Saturday, it said.
“The perimeter of the fire is practically under control although as a preventative measure we have maintained a level one alert,” the regional government of Galicia said in a statement.
Local officials believe the fire was started intentionally. About 200 people were evacuated from their homes on Saturday because of the blaze but they have since been allowed to return home.
The Fragas do Eume natural park covers 9,126 hectares of mostly oak, birch hazel and chestnut trees. It is home to 103 species of birds and 41 species of mammals.
“Now we will have to live with this. It will take at least 10-15 years for this land to regenerate,” the mayor of the nearby town of A Capela, Manuel Meizoso, told news radio Cadena Ser.
Environmentalist groups have called for protests calling for stronger efforts to protect forests to be held later on Monday in several cities in Galicia, including Santiago de Compostela and Pontevedra.
“This is not just another wildfire nor an accident, it seems to be a premeditated operation, like many other blazes in recent years,” environmental group “Galicia is not for sale” said in a statement.
Spain has seen its driest winter since the 1940s and by the end of February had already recorded more than 3,000 forest fires since the start of the year.
Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.