Spanish Wildfire damage put at 100 million euros
Pastor Dale Morgan
Spanish Wildfire damage put at 100 million euros*
MADRID, Aug 25 (AFP) Aug 25, 2006
The government of Spain's northwestern Galicia region on Thursday
estimated at 100 million euros (127 million dollars) the damage caused
by the recent wave of forest fires which destroyed up to 80,000 hectares
(230,000 acres).
The head of the Socialist regional administration, Emilio Perez Tourino,
said the authorities would foot the clean-up bill.
"We will certainly cover all the damages directly caused (by the fires)
and are going to launch a programme exceeding 100 million" euros,
Tourino said.
The cost of the damage to forestry is estimated at some 66 million euros.
A total of 13 million euros has been allocated to inhabitants whose
property was affected and to the victims, with the remainder going to
rebuilding infrastructure.
The central government is to unveil its material response to the crisis
at Friday's cabinet meeting.
The Galician agricultural union Unions Agrarias last week estimated the
overall damage to the agricultural sector, which is of vital importance
to the mainly rural region, at some 245 million euros.