RANDA EVACUATED AFTER MOUNTAIN CATCHES FIRE

THE fierce forest fire which sparked the evacuation of the village of Randa yesterday was being brought under control last night.
The 100-odd residents of the mountain village were advised to leave their homes and head to Luchmajor after Algaida Local Police informed the Mayor that the fire on the mountain could quickly change direction and swoop down on the village. Civil protection offices evacuated tourists and staff from the Randa monastery immediately after the fire broke out. The fire was reported at 2.10pm and while an army of fire fighters battled the blaze yesterday afternoon, Randa residents were bedding down at the Lluchmayor sports centre. Every single airborne forest fire fighting unit available in Majorca was dumping tonnes of water onto the flames. Three “dromadair” planes, three helicopters, a spotter plane and the Canadair fire fighting plane were fighting the fire on both fronts yesterday evening although fire chiefs said at 7.30pm that the 100-plus fire fighters were no longer protecting houses, but were working on extinguishing the blaze “which is good news.” “We're now starting to bring the fire under control. It's moved round us three times today, but we're on top of the flames now,” fire service sources said.