Spain's large forest fire rages towards north of Madrid

Around 250 people, including aerial units were fighting a huge forest fire on Sunday which is advancing towards the community of Madrid in the region of Avila to the north-west of the capital. At midday on Sunday the fire was still out of control despite the efforts of around 14 helicopters and 6 aircraft, around 30 fire engines and 3 bulldozers, used to cut fire-breaks to try and stop the spread of the flames. Local firefighters have been strengthened by 185 members of the Military Emergency unit to combat a blaze which began on Saturday evening and which due to strong winds had spread five kilometers, causing some residents in the region to literally 'run away with the clothes they had on their backs.' The cause of the fire is yet unknown, according to the mayor of the small town of Cebreros, which is closest to the flames. Meanwhle a security guard at a farm in the region needed hospital treatment for slight burns, while the flames have affected an area of pine trees of great ecological value. This fire comes at the end of what has been a difficult week for Spain in terms of forest fires with various blazes needing to be combatted in various points of the country. A fire in the region of Andratx in the west of the island of Mallorca destroyed over 2,330 hectares of pine forest, becoming the most destructive fire the island has seen in 20 years and burning for almost a week. Meanwhile another fire also damaged an area of woods to the south-west of Barcelona, where the smoke was clearly visible from a vantage point at the Olympic Stadium on Montjuic, while a further fire, which began in Portugal, crossed the frontier, fanned by south-westerly winds in the province of Zamora. Finally a fourth fire in the province of Guadalajara destroyed 1,300 hectares, despite the efforts of 200 firefighters, supported by 20 aerial units, with over 200 people evacuated from their homes. This is turning into another complicated summer for Spain's fire-fighting services, given that a spell of hot dry weather, accompanied by strong dry winds has followed on the back of a wet spring, which means extensive undergrowth, which helps any fire become established and spread rapidly. The fact that many regional and local authorities have been forced to make spending cuts as a result of the economic crisis also means that in some areas spending on cutting back the undergrowth has been reduced, again leaving more 'fuel' for any potential blaze.