Walter Finch
SPAIN is currently grappling with a series of devastating forest fires across the country that appear to have increasingly suspicious origins.
Around eight major fires have destroyed thousands of hectares and forced mass evacuations in recent days, from Tarifa to the suburbs of Madrid and a UNESCO World Heritage site in Leon.
Experts have stated that at least three of them fit a disturbing pattern after Andalucian authorities declared the devastating Tarifa blaze was started deliberately.
Meanwhile, a firefighter has confessed to setting a massive fire in Avila that burned thousands of hectares and forced the confinement of two towns simply ‘to give himself more work’.
The blaze in Tarifa – the second in a week – forced the evacuation of more than 2,000 people on Monday, and consumed over 300 hectares of protected woodland in the Parque Natural del Estrecho.
Andalucia Councillor Antonio Sanz, announced the suspected arson during a press conference and called for the full weight of the law to fall on those responsible.
“We are dealing with malicious intent, bad faith and attempts to cause harm,” Sanz told reporters.
“The people who may have caused this fire could have provoked not only a natural catastrophe, but also incalculable damage to people and livelihoods.”
The councillor emphasised the gravity of deliberately starting fires in a region whose economy depends heavily on tourism, stating that perpetrators ‘deserve absolute condemnation and rejection from the population’.
Authorities revealed the fire originated in a ‘hidden area behind a rock’ but confirmed they possess ‘data and evidence’ supporting the theory that it was deliberately set.
The discovery has prompted emergency services to step up surveillance operations across the coastal area.
Security measures now include drone patrols flying over coastal perimeters and reinforced Infoca (Andalucian fire prevention service) units specifically tasked with detecting suspicious activity.
Sanz appealed for public cooperation, urging residents to immediately call 112 if they spot anyone ‘running away from fire zones’ or behaving suspiciously near woodland areas.
The Tarifa incident represents the second major fire in the area within a week, raising concerns about a potential pattern of deliberate fire-setting as Spain battles its worst wildfire season in years.
In the shocking Avila case 600km away, the unnamed fire service worker was arrested for allegedly starting the blaze in Cuevas del Valle that destroyed nearly 2,200 hectares just two weeks ago.
During police questioning, he reportedly confessed to deliberately igniting the fire to create fresh work for himself – a revelation that stunned investigators and sent shockwaves through Spain’s emergency services.
READ MORE: WATCH: Wildfire comes ‘within four metres’ of burning through the border of luxury Tarifa hotel
That fire forced the confinement of two entire towns and put hundreds of residents at risk before being brought under control by emergency crews, including the very person who started it.
Meanwhile, a blaze that has devastated the ancient Roman gold mining site of Las Medulas in Leon, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is believed to have been set by arsonists.
The disaster forced the evacuation of up to 1,400 people as flames reached residential buildings within the UNESCO complex.
All tourist infrastructure at the site has been destroyed, while extreme heat and strong winds created dangerous ‘fire whirls’ that staggered firefighters trying to bring it under control.
Experts added blaze to Spain’s growing list of suspicious fires threatening the country’s most precious natural sites and economic zones.
Spanish authorities have vowed to crack down hard on anyone found guilty of arson, with penalties potentially including lengthy prison sentences and massive compensation claims for environmental damage and emergency response costs.
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