Staff Reporter
POLICE are looking for a suspected arsonist who authorities claim started a wildfire that tore through the forested hills of Valdecaballeros in Badajoz.
The blaze, which broke out last Friday, forced over 300 residents from the village of Cíjara to flee their homes.
A nearby campsite also had to be evacuated to protect the lives of approximately 140 children attending a summer camp at the venue as over 2,500 hectares were scorched.
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Ignacio Higuero, the regional minister for forest management, said over the weekend that authorities believe they may be dealing with a pyromaniac.
His suspicions were backed up by fellow politico Abel Bautista, who confirmed that a new hotspot was ignited on Sunday afternoon.
Bautista has called for all available resources to be deployed to identify and stop the potential perpetrator.
Elsewhere in the country, wildfires continue to pose serious challenges.
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A fierce forest fire took hold in the Cortijo Guerrero area of Antequerra, in the north of the Malaga province on Tuesday evening, prompting the Junta to activate its emergency plan.
Andalucia’s wildfire specialists, Plan Infoca, dispatched three fire engines along with four ground crews, and a team of technicians to tackle the blaze.
They brought the fire under control at 1.55pm this afternoon.
In Palencia, a fire that broke out in Paredes del Monte at 5pm on Sunday, has been escalated to a Level 2 alert, according to the regional government of Castilla and Leon, signalling increased danger and the potential need for external support.
Around 20 ground and air units have been deployed, but strong winds are hampering extinguishing efforts.
Meanwhile, in Toledo, flames have reached the outskirts of the urban area, Fuente Sauco in La Torre de Esteban Hambrán, prompting partial evacuations of the residential development.
Initially, the fire in Toledo was declared a Level 2 emergency, but by Sunday night, authorities had reduced it to Level 1.
Authorities are urging caution and public cooperation as heat and dry conditions persist across much of Spain.
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