Dilip Kuner
AN expat has told of a dramatic bush fire that broke out in the Alpujarras region of Granada that needed 100 firefighters to bring it under control.
Richard Riley lives near the mountainous Poqueira gorge between Bubion and Capileira and was left trapped in his own home as the fire raged as authorities blocked off roads.
He said: “It was like a war zone here last night they had about 12 aircraft in operation.
“It was a bit scary as we saw the flames catch on to trees but luckily the wind wasn’t too strong.
“It was pretty bad but they have stabilised the fire now.
“Some people were trying to leave last night but couldn’t as the roads were blocked off. But no one had to be evacuated.”
Infoca forest firefighters were called to the municipality of Bubion yesterday and worked through the night to bring the flames under control.
The area is in the highly environmentally sensitive Sierra Nevada National Park. The emergency services were worried that the blaze was near many homes in the village of Bubion.
Firefighters managed to contain the fire after calling in aerial support and on-the-ground reinforcements, with more than 100 battling to contain the fire. The fire was declared ‘stabilised’ this morning.
No properties were harmed and no casualties have been reported. Eight helicopters plus several planes, eight fire engines and 15 forestry fire fighting units were involved in the operation.
One fire engine, plus several firefighters continued to monitor the situation throughout the day in case the fire flared up again.
