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Join on Telegram Rabat – Ceuta’s government said on Friday that firefighters have a massive wildfire that erupted last night “under control.”
The fire erupted on Thursday night, causing more than 60 people to be evacuated as it burned more than 130 hectares of forest land, Ceuta’s official government website said.
The evacuees have been rehoused in a local sporting center, and there were no reported significant damages to any homes or people so far.
The fire broke out in the vicinity of military barracks belonging to the Tercio Duque de Alba legion. Spanish news outlet El Pais reported that authorities suspect that the fire was intentionally started in a vehicle parked in the area, and then quickly spread due to strong winds.
More than 300 personnel had been dispatched to put out the flames, as well as military emergency units,w ith the government issuing a level 2 alert. Since the announcement that the fire is under control, the alert level has been lowered to 1.
Emergency services estimate that the fire has burned a total of 5% of the city, making it the largest ever fire in the Spanish enclave’s history.
A government spokesperson said that 65% of the destroyed land was of “high ecological value,” including a space of community interest and a special zone for the protection of birds.
North Africa and Europe have been seeing more wildfires this year, as the region has experienced record-breaking temperatures over the summer. The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) reported in August that wildfires have consumed more than 700,000 hectares in Europe this year.
As temperatures continue to rise and the effects of climate change don’t appear to be slowing down, questions have started to arise over which measures governments will take in the future to mitigate the harm.
