ARCHIVED - Alicante firefighters battle massive blaze at landfill and separate lorry fire in Monovar

A huge column of black smoke and flames were visible in neighbouring towns in the Vinalopo Mitja region of Alicante province

Firefighters spent hours battling a huge blaze at a landfill in Monóvar on Tuesday evening which spectacularly ripped through debris at the site on the El Pastoret industrial estate.

Hours later, in a separate incident, a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) caught fire on the edge of the town and spread to nearby pine trees.

The first blaze broke out just after 8pm, destroying rubbish, rubble and vegetation. High flames and a large column of black smoke were clearly visible from neighbouring towns, and a dozen firefighters equipped with seven heavy duty pumps and two forestry firefighting engines battled the blaze well into the night.

According to Alicante Fire Service, the fire is still active so two bulldozers were brought in on Wednesday morning to remove the scorched debris in order to release heat from below and try to prevent a further outbreak.

Fire crews were given little respite and at 8.20am on Tuesday morning, July 27, were called out to an incident on the outskirts of the town after a 60-ton HGV crane truck burst into flames on a roundabout on the CV-83, a main entrance to Monovar.

The heat was so intense the wheels exploded and were thrown 30 metres, destroying guardrails and igniting nearby pine trees.

Fortunately, nobody was hurt. 

The cause of both incidents is being investigated.

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Images: Consorcio Bomberos Alicantee