TWO fires in the Devesa del Saler area of Valencia’s Albufera natural park were started deliberately, according to officials.
A small fire was ignited and put out on Sunday, while 30 firefighters worked through the night to control the second blaze which broke out in scrubland at around 3.00pm on Monday.
In October, the Guardia Civil arrested a lawyer, 59, for starting at least nine fires during the autumn and summer.
He lives in the Devesa del Saler and was bailed in an investigation that is being carried out under secrecy rules.
Around 800 hectares of the forest that extends across along the natural park parallel to the lake were destroyed following last year’s fires.
In the latest incident, five tower blocks to the north of the Albuferea park were evacuated as a precaution on Monday as smoke billowed around them.
Flames were fanned by wind gusts of up to 60 kilometres per hour with the fire regarded as the most ‘life-threatening’ since 1986.
30 people had to leave their homes with three of them treated for smoke inhalation.
The caretaker of one of the towers, Pepe, said: “Palm trees were burning and falling on the fire, making it look like a war zone.”
A flat resident, Angel, said: “We saw the huge fire, grabbed buckets and whatever we could to try to help the firefighters.”
The government delegate to the Valencian Community, Pilar Barnabe confirmed that early indications from the Guardia Civil were that both fires were caused by arson.
Valencia mayor, Maria Jose Catala called on ‘forceful’ measures to be taken because fires ‘are happening too often’.
She called on mobile phone geolocation tracking to be carried out to find the offender or offenders.
Tributes were also paid by Barnabe and Catala to the emergency services.
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