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Date Published: 22/08/2022
ARCHIVED - Alicante wildfire brought under control: experts warn 12,000 razed hectares could take 30 years to regenerate
The Vall d'Ebro blaze raged for six days - the most devastating fire in Alicante province in 10 years
The spectacular Vall d'Ebo wildfire in Alicante province is finally under control after razing 12,150 hectares of forest land and forcing the evacuation of more than 2,000 people in at least a dozen towns and villages.
The forest fire, which started last Saturday (August 13) was brought under control at 1.30pm on Sunday August 21 after raging through a perimeter of 100 kilometres in the regions of El Comtat and Marina Alta.
Last Wednesday (August 17), the fire department declared the perimeter of the blaze "stable", and had intended to announce that it was "under control" on Saturday afternoon, but after winds caused a small resurgence, it was decided to postpone the decision on the control of the fire until Sunday, when the aerial resources were finally stood down.
Se ha dado por controlado a la 13:30 el incendio de Vall D'Ebo, seguiremos trabajando todavía mucho hasta por darlo por extinguido. Mucho animo a las dotaciones del consorcio y de bomberos forestales que se encuentran aún allí 👲🚒👏#bomberos #cpba #enaccion pic.twitter.com/iqZRdGZkFF
— Consorcio Bomberos Alicante (@BomberosDipuALC) August 21, 2022
Thirty ground Alicante fire crews have been working practically around the clock to extinguish the flames together with 13 units of forest firefighters from the Regional Government Service and four BRIFOS from the Valencian Provincial Consortium.
In addition, 20 aerial resources together with the HLC of the Military Emergency Unit have been drafted in and the governments of the Region of Murcia and Castilla-La Mancha have collaborated by offering additional ground and aerial resources.
Efforts are now focused on combating a possible resurgence of the flames fanned by the wind, especially on the northern flank, in the municipalities of El Toro (Castellón) and Andilla (Valencia).
In just six months, Vall d'Ebo has suffered the consequences of two terrible natural disasters: prior to this forest fire caused by lightning that has devastated the entire landscape of the Marina Alta town and parts of El Comtat, a deluge of rain left up to 1,098 litres/m2 between March and April.
The blaze is the most devastating Alicante province has witnessed in the last decade; forest fires wreaked havoc in the summer of 2012 in the natural park of Serelles de Alcoy and Cocentaina as well as between Torre de les Maçanes, Benifallim and Penàguila; in September 2016 there were huge wildfires in Granadella de Xàbia and in July 2019 in the mountain range La Solana de Beneixama.
These also reduced massive areas of Mediterranean forest to ash, between 550 and 860 hectares, causing serious environmental and economic damage and the irreparable loss of human lives.
The destruction is still visible in Serelles, Torre de les Maçanes, Granadella and La Solana, and environmentalists are warning that, in the best case scenario, it could take up to three decades for the vegetation to completely regenerate.
Furthermore, the recovery of the tree mass will be much slower and more costly in the southern regions due to the current drought conditions and the progressive increase in temperatures brought about by climate change.
Alicante's forests are dominated by Aleppo pine which is a species that germinates well after fire.
Under normal conditions, burnt pine forests tend to regenerate well if they are mature. In autumn the saplings start to germinate and if the climatic conditions are not adverse, the pine forest can regenerate completely in 30 years, according to Alicante biologist, Fernando Maestre Gil.
Also of interest: Spain has hit annual drowning death toll by mid-August
Images: Consorcio Bomberos Alicante
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