Raging Wildfires In Northeast Spain Kill 3, Injure 19

[News_Editor]

Raging wildfires in northeast Spain kill 3, injure 19 < br />

2012-07-23 07:06:14 GMT+7 (ICT)

BARCELONA, SPAIN (BNO NEWS) -- A series of raging wildfires in Spain's northeastern region of Catalonia have killed at least three people and injured nineteen others, officials said on Sunday. The fires have burned thousands of acres (hectares) in recent days.

The fires, which have been fanned by dry conditions and winds up to 55 miles (90 kilometers) per hour, have burned about 13,000 hectares (32,100 acres) as of late Sunday evening, according to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo. The most serious fire broke out on Sunday afternoon and continued to burn out of control during the late evening hours.

According to the Spanish Interior Minister, at least three people have been killed by the fires. A 60-year-old man and his 15-year-old daughter were killed after they attempted to evade flames by jumping off of a cliff and drowned in the sea below. A 75-year-old man was killed when he went into cardiac arrest.

Spanish authorities said a further nineteen people have been injured, including an 8-year-old girl and a 65-year-old French citizen who suffered burns to 80 percent of his body. Thousands of people have also been forced to evacuate their homes, and more evacuations are expected if the fires continue to spread.

Spain is regularly hit by wildfires. Eleven firefighters were killed in 2005 when a forest fire caused by a barbecue devastated a large area in Spain's central province of Guadalajara. A wildfire also burned more than 2,000 hectares (4,900 acres) on the Spanish island of Ibiza in May 2011, making it the worst wildfire in the island's history.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-07-23

[mistitikimikis]

A frightening and sadning view from l'Escala (alt Emporda) which is in a straight line of around fourty kms. from the fires. But not the first time, here one (smaller) more in 2004 after which we found numerous wild animals dead. Fires caused by nonchalance, thunder-lightning but also several times by mental desturbed people. It will take many decades or more for the nature to restore itself.

Edited July 24, 2012 by mistitikimikis

[mistitikimikis]

HORRIBLE to see this back after living there for more than a decade.................

"Dash air tankers descend to collect water from the Boadellas reservoir near the village of Darnius in Figueres, Spain"

Normally the planes are not alowed to collect sea-water anymore because of (salt)-polution reasons.

Helicopters are also sucking water not only from lakes but also from private-pools when reachable in real emergency.

Edited July 24, 2012 by mistitikimikis

[coma]

Is their central bank and stock exchange anywhere near this area ?

[mistitikimikis]

Is their central bank and stock exchange anywhere near this area ?

A low-leveled "joke"

[mistitikimikis]

Is their central bank and stock exchange anywhere near this area ?

A low-leveled "joke"

photo

[coma]

Is their central bank and stock exchange anywhere near this area ?

A low-leveled "joke"

photo

So the central bank and stock exchange aren't anywhere near the fires then ?