It may have been the fall of an electrical cable that caused the huge fire that broke out in Andalusia, in southern Spain. This is the hypothesis put forward by the councilor for the Presidency and Emergencies of the Andalusian regional government, Antonio Sanz, based on the first information collected.
The fire was declared at 4.35pm yesterday in the town of Los Gallardos, in the province of Almeria, after the single emergency number 112 received over 150 calls from alarmed citizens. It caused the death of 12 people, while around twenty were injured.
The electric cable hypothesis
According to some testimonies, several present witnessed the fall of an electric cable near kilometer 511 of the N-340A national road. Contact with the vegetation, made extremely dry by the repeated heat waves affecting Spain, would have quickly triggered the flames.
The authorities are now verifying the exact dynamics of the incident, while the extinguishing and safety operations of the area affected by the fire continue.
The heat favors fires
The episode is part of a context of strong emergency linked to the high temperatures that have been affecting the Iberian peninsula for weeks. Extreme heat and drought are in fact increasing the risk of forest fires in several regions of the country, making areas covered with dry vegetation particularly vulnerable.