George Mathias
A FOREST FIRE that ignited on Sunday in Valencia has already burned through some 800 hectares.
An emergency team comprising four planes, four helicopters and brigades from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition have been dispatched to extinguish the blaze, located west of Valencia city in Venta del Moro.
Multiple firefighting units were working overnight, while the Military Emergency Unit (UME) announced it will send 80 soldiers and two Cougar helicopters to help.
The fire is thought to have been caused by a lightning strike and looked to have been put under control at midday Monday June 4.
However, a sudden change in wind direction saw it spread rapidly one again, according to the State Meteorological Agency.
As it stands there have been no evictions in nearby towns
The president of Valencia, Ximo Puig, said on Monday: “There is a large forest and our priority is about stopping that front, and also the others because the fire has grown at an extraordinary rate. Yesterday a great job was done and the fire was limited to a 100 hectare space, but this afternoon (Monday), it has spread to 800 hectares”.
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