EDIS Number: WF-20110410-30249-ESP
Date / time: 10/04/2011 13:49:11 [UTC]
Event: Forest / Wild Fire
Area: Europe
Country: Spain
State/County: Valencia
Location: Benicolet
Number of Deads: N/A
Number of Injured: N/A
Number of Infected: N/A
Number of Missing: N/A
Number of Affected: N/A
Number of Evacuated: N/A
Damage level: Heavy
Description:
Firefighters, volunteers and soldiers were on Sunday fighting to put out fires in forest and bush land in Valencia, along Spain's Mediterranean coast line. The flames had so far destroyed around 500 hectares of land. Around 40 homes in the town of Benicolet were evacuated as a precaution. Authorities suspected arson. Because of the unseasonal warmth - temperatures at the weekend reached up to 40 degrees - high winds fanning the flames and dryness, authorities had raised the highest level of alert for the teams working to put out the fires. Around a dozen airplanes were also being used to drop water onto the areas affected, parts of which were difficult to access. Syndicated from RSOE EDIS - Emergency and Disaster Information
