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Date Published: 18/08/2022

ARCHIVED - Wildfire in Petrer has been brought under control after destroying 100 hectares

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

The blaze in the Vinalopó Mitjà area of Alicante province forced the evacuation of campsite

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Wildfire in Petrer has been brought under control after destroying 100 hectares

Firefighters have managed to contain a wildfire on the Sierra del Caballo in La Caprala, Petrer, 10 hours after it started.

Flames ripped through 100 hectares and forced the Emergency Coordination Centre of the Valencian Community to evacuate 10 people from the nearby Caprala Camp, which belongs to the Petrer Town Council.

The fire broke out at around 2pm on Wednesday August 17, and its origin has since been located to a country house on the Rambla de Puça. According to Alicante Firefighters' Consortium, the flames spread very quickly through shrubland and despite the efforts of fire crews from Elda and Villena, almost reached L'Aviol.

Aerial resources were totally stretched, dealing with a raging wildfire in Vall d'Ebo, but five planes were soon on the scene and the fire was perimetered and contained by 12.30am on Thursday August 18.

If no new outbreaks occur within the next 48 hours, the fire will be considered extinguished "after already destroying 100 hectares", explained Amancio Guerrero, Head of the Operational Area of the Vinalopó Fire Station.

Meanwhile, the Emergency Coordination Centre has established situation 1 of the Special Plan against the Risk of Forest Fires (PEIF): "Emergency situation caused by one or more forest fires which, in their foreseeable evolution, may seriously affect forest assets...the population and non-forest assets and can be controlled with the means and resources of the PEIF, or whose extinction may require that, at the request of the Director of the PEIF...extraordinary means are incorporated".

And the Generalitat Valenciana has declared a pre-emergency level for Thursday due to "extreme risk" and the "making of any kind of external fire" is forbidden across the Valencia region.

The perimeter of the Alicante wildfire that has raged in the Vall d'Ebo for five days was declared "stable" following rain on Wednesday, coupled with a slight drop in temperatures and increased humidity. The blaze has destroyed at least 11,500 hectares and forced the eviction of 2,000 people in a dozen towns and villages.

Also of interest: Expat caught with 255 marijuana plants after fire at his Alicante home

Image: Meteo Vinalopó

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