10 helicopters sent to fight Wildfire blaze on Canary Islands
Pastor Dale Morgan
10 helicopters sent to fight Wildfire blaze on Canary Islands*
SAN BARTOLOME, July 29 (AFP) Jul 29, 2007
Firefighters on Sunday had largely brought under a control a huge blaze
on the Canary Islands that had swept over more than 3,500 hectares
(8,750 acres), regional officials said.
"All fronts are now under control expect for one," a local government
environmental agency spokeswoman said. She added that it should be
completely under control by Sunday evening.
Around 200 firefighters, army and civil protection workers were
mobilised to fight the blaze which had ravaged a wooded, mountainous but
sparsely inhabited part of the island. Seven helicopters were working
with firefighters to tackle the blaze Sunday afternoon.
As a precaution, 70 children had been evacuated from a camp not far from
the affected zone on Gran Canaria, while four roads had to be cut.
A separate fire on the small island of La Gomera, which destroyed 180
hectares, was under control on Sunday morning.
Several hamlets had to be evacuated because of the fire which threatened
the Garajonay national park, which has been on UNESCO's list of heritage
sites since 1986 because of its unique flora.
On mainland Spain, a fire which broke out on a military firing range in
Andalusia had scorched about 3,500 hectares as well.