6000 evacuated as result of fire in illegal tyre dump

Around 6,000 people were evacuated from their homes between Friday night and Saturday morning as the result of a fire which is burning out of control at what is considered to be the biggest dump of tyres in Europe.

The fire in the locality of Sesena, 35 kilometers south of Madrid, began burning at around 1 a.m. on Friday morning, producing a huge black cloud.

It is estimated the illegal dump contains around 100,000 tones of tyres and although the fire has been contained to a perimeter by a series of firebreaks cut by firefighting units, it was still out of control.

Fire fighters from both the Communities of Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha are fighting the flames and regional authorities have declared a level one alert, while the Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment sent two planes to help combat the fire.

There are no casualties as a result of the fire, but the smoke is considered to be a health hazard given that it contains high levels of hydrocarbons.

Six-thousand residents of the El Quinon estate, which is situated virtually next to the dump, have been evacuated as a result of the smoke. The police report that 80 percent of residents were able to leave under their own means, while a fleet of buses was mobilized to help move old and sick residents.

Environment Secretary from the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha, Francisco Martinez Arroyo, explained on Spanish TV network RTVE that the fire could last for several days and even up to a week.

The cause of the blaze is not yet known, but authorities believe it was started intentionally.

Source: XINHUA