110 forest fires rage in northwest Spain

Emergency services were fighting 110 forest fires yesterday in wooded areas of northwest Spain, many started deliberately, officials said.

The fires, which have charred around 10 000 hectares of forest and scrubland, have occurred mainly between the port city of Vigo and tourist centre Santiago de Compostella, an area known for its fjord-like sea inlets. Five people have been arrested on suspicion of having started fires, regional prosecutor Alvaro Garcia Ortiz said.One of the five has been released on bail.Fire fighters had managed to bring 49 fires under control, but high winds and very dry conditions were fanning another 62 blazes, said spokeswoman Iria Mendez.Italy’s civil protection said it would dispatch two Canadair planes and a team of technicians to help fight forest fires in Spain.The CL415 planes, capable of drenching a blaze with more than 6 000 litres of water or flame-retardant liquid, would leave for Spain Wednesday morning from Rome’s Ciampino airport, the civil protection said in a statement.The planes were made available following a request by Spain’s civil protection and as part of Europe-wide agreements for mutual assistance, the statement said.Two wildfires were burning in Girona, on the other side of Spain in the northeast region of Catalonia, where fire fighters had deployed eight vehicles.Neighbouring Portugal, which had originally offered help to Spain, had to redeploy its firefighting forces to outbreaks within its own borders, regional authorities in Galicia said.Forest fires in Spain and other Mediterranean countries char hundreds of thousands of acres (hectares) of land every year.Spain’s national and regional governments agreed to step up vigilance after 17 people died in fires last summer.The number of highly destructive fires – ones that have burned more than 1 hectare-has dropped from more than 6 200 in 2005 to under 3 000 in 2006 for the January-July period, according to Environment Ministry figures.Authorities credit preventive measures for the drop, including bans on barbecues in the countryside in dry regions, and more effective campaigns to clear roadside garbage and fallen leaves and branches in forests.Nampa-APFive people have been arrested on suspicion of having started fires, regional prosecutor Alvaro Garcia Ortiz said.One of the five has been released on bail.Fire fighters had managed to bring 49 fires under control, but high winds and very dry conditions were fanning another 62 blazes, said spokeswoman Iria Mendez.Italy’s civil protection said it would dispatch two Canadair planes and a team of technicians to help fight forest fires in Spain.The CL415 planes, capable of drenching a blaze with more than 6 000 litres of water or flame-retardant liquid, would leave for Spain Wednesday morning from Rome’s Ciampino airport, the civil protection said in a statement.The planes were made available following a request by Spain’s civil protection and as part of Europe-wide agreements for mutual assistance, the statement said.Two wildfires were burning in Girona, on the other side of Spain in the northeast region of Catalonia, where fire fighters had deployed eight vehicles.Neighbouring Portugal, which had originally offered help to Spain, had to redeploy its firefighting forces to outbreaks within its own borders, regional authorities in Galicia said.Forest fires in Spain and other Mediterranean countries char hundreds of thousands of acres (hectares) of land every year.Spain’s national and regional governments agreed to step up vigilance after 17 people died in fires last summer.The number of highly destructive fires – ones that have burned more than 1 hectare-has dropped from more than 6 200 in 2005 to under 3 000 in 2006 for the January-July period, according to Environment Ministry figures.Authorities credit preventive measures for the drop, including bans on barbecues in the countryside in dry regions, and more effective campaigns to clear roadside garbage and fallen leaves and branches in forests.Nampa-AP