Fire Destroys 1,100 Hectares of Forest in Spain

Varieties

July 27th, 6:10am

Madrid - Asharq Al-Awsat

In this long exposure photograph, flames consume both sides of a segment of Lake Berryessa during the Hennessey fire in the Spanish Flat area of Napa, California, US, Aug. 18, 2020. (AFP)

A fire has broken out in forests about 100 kilometers west of Barcelona. The Catalan Forest Service reported on Sunday that the fires have so far reduced 1,100 hectares of forest and farmland to ash, according to the German news agency. There are concerns that wind, which usually starts around midday in the region, will further fuel the fire due to high temperatures (around 30 degrees) and severe drought. Up to 5,000 hectares are directly threatened. It is the biggest fire this year so far in the densely forested region of Cataluña, El Periodico local newspaper wrote. The ashes have already reached parts of Barcelona. In addition to the local fire brigades and forest firefighting units, soldiers of the Spanish armed forces have been in action to put out flames since Sunday morning. Farmers in the region were called to plough their fields immediately to create barriers against the flames. About 80 people in the region had to leave their homes since the fire started on Saturday. The cause of the fire is still unknown. Last weekend, a fire in the country's north, on the Costa Brava, destroyed 415 hectares of forest in the Cap de Creus natural reserve.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3100486/fire-destroys-1100-hectares-forest-spain