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Date Published: 16/04/2024

Alicante wildfire forces 200 people from their homes

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The deadly blaze in Tárbena has been raging for two days straight

Alicante wildfire forces 200 people from their homes

Firefighters in the Alicante town of Tárbena have been working solidly for the past two days and nights to extinguish a wildfire that broke out in the area on Sunday April 14. A team of 14, plus two sections of the Military Emergency Unit (UME), are currently focusing on the right flank of the blaze, which is perilously close to residential areas.

"There is a lot of unburned fuel, there have been many areas where there is a lot of biomass, which is very dry and could cause a lot of problems," explained the regional secretary of security and emergencies, Javier Montero.

For this reason, firefighters are focusing on a direct attack on the fire, cooling hot spots and surrounding flames that are still active.

Meanwhile, around 200 local residents have spent a second night away from their homes, having been evacuated on Sunday as the flames crept closer to dozens of houses. The majority of these are foreigners, more than 100 of whom had to flee properties scattered around the municipality of Tárbena. A further 80 are from Parcent and 2 are from Xalò.

It’s still too early to tell how much material damage has been caused to these houses, but 640 hectares of land have already been devoured by the flames.

Shockingly, early investigations suggest that the fire was set deliberately: a father and son were arrested but both have been provisionally released pending charges.

In the meantime, the firefighting team hopes to bring the wildfire under control sometime today, or even extinguish the blaze entirely.

After being grounded overnight, aerial resources resumed operations Tuesday morning, continuing to drop water collected from nearby pools onto the affected area in Tárbena. Officials are confident they will be able to contain the fire, thanks to approximately 226 military personnel and 69 supporting technical experts deployed in the region.

As a precautionary measure, all types of bonfires, including the burning of agricultural waste, are strictly prohibited across the Valencian Community owing to heightened risks during this period of hot weather.

In other news: Alicante faces swimming pool ban this summer if drought conditions worsen

Images: MeteOrihuela

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