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ARCHIVED - Five forest fires tear through Alicante and Valencia countryside over the weekend
Firefighters battled blazes in Altea, Barx, Pobla de Vallbona, Godelleta and Estivella
Unseasonably high temperatures and a lack of rain have seen a series of forest fires destroy acres of vegetation in just 24 hours on the Costa Blanca.
A wildfire spanning Castellón to Teruel that raged for more than a week has finally been "stablised" in the interior of Castellón after thousands of people were evacuated, and in Murcia, a succession of forest fires kept emergency crews busy over the weekend.
Closer to home, five fires broke out in the provinces of Alicante and Valencia on Sunday April 2, with fire crews tackling blazes in Alicante's Altea, and Barx, Pobla de Vallbona, Godelleta and Estivella in Valencia.
In the latter three cases, the Valencian Government was forced to establish 'situation 1' of the Special Plan against the Risk of Forest Fires (PEIF) due to the proximity to several homes and other buildings.
The Emergency Coordination Centre 112 CV received the first report of a forest fire in Barx at around 3pm, which started in an area near the Mondúver road.
In addition to several fire engines, aerial resources were also pulled in to douse the flames and make three trips to evacuate the watchman of the Mondúver observatory and nine hikers who were isolated.
Within half an hour, 112 CV received another alert for a forest fire in Altea, near the ravine of Riquet. Six fire crews and aerial resources managed to bring the flames under control just before 5pm.
A third fire started in a house in La Pobla de Vallbona and spread to a neighbouring forest. Firefighters managed to rescue a resident and his dogs who were trapped on a plot of burning land. Nearby houses were evacuated and, according to municipal sources, the blaze was stabilised at around 7pm.
In Estivella, a forest fire broke out in an area near water tanks located next to the Sierra Calderona campsite. An air force of the Generalitat, three land vehicles, two fire engines, volunteers from Náquera and a government fire prevention unit were immediately mobilised.The fifth fire started in the area of La Fuentecica, Godelleta, near the Murtal ravine, and took six fire crews to put out.
The cause of the fires has not been confirmed and investigations are underway.
Last month, a court ruled that a 63-year-old British arsonist convicted of deliberately torching a large section of a natural park in Benidorm be expelled from Spain at the end of May He is not allowed to re-enter the country for 10 years.
Images: GVA 112
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