Madrid [Spain], August 24: Spanish villagers on part of the Mediterranean coast hit by wildfires and flooding were returning home on Sunday, though in some areas, clean-up operations were ongoing after heavy rain. The fire, sparked by a lightning strike in Segorbe town on Thursday evening, has been brought under control, the Civil Protection Service of the Autonomous Community of Valencia said in a post on X.
Around 1,000 people evacuated from the village of Gatova may now return, Mayor Jesús Salmeron told broadcaster Cope. But they must remain in their homes and not yet spend long periods of time outdoors, he added. The wildfire destroyed a total of 630 hectares in the mountainous and inaccessible Sierra Calderona Natural Park. The fire broke out a few kilometres further south in the municipality of Segorbe and then raged through the park towards Gatova, triggering a difficult operation involving the Military Emergency Unit (UME), numerous fire brigades, fire-fighting helicopters and aircraft.
Drought and record temperatures resulting from climate change make vegetation extremely flammable. More than 297,000 hectares have already been burnt in 425 forest fires in Spain this year, according to the European Commission's Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). The temperature of the Mediterranean is also steadily rising, causing very heavy rainfall in the region.
Further north-east, on the Costa Dorada, people were still clearing the debris and assessing the damage on Sunday after heavy rainfall caused flooding.
Source: Qatar Tribune
