07/12/2012 00:00
TW
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Palma.—The forest fire season may be over but during the past few weeks, forest fire fighters have had to battle a couple of blazes.
Yesterday, three fire brigades with support from three special water tanks and two Ibanat forestry commission helicopters were involved in battling a blaze which broke out on the Albufera Natural Park just outside Alcudia at 9.45am.

Eyewitness Mark, who sent us the above pictures said that there were several areas affected by the blaze and that the flames were around 15m high.
He also confirmed that there were helicopters working in the area picking up water from local farmers' wells.
Gale force winds
At 3.20pm, Ibanat reported that the fire has destroyed about 40 hectares but was under control and should have been extinguished within a matter of hours, although the gale force winds were not making it easy for the fire fighters.

Fire investigators were at the scene, but they were not expected to open their investigation until the fire was out.
This year has been one of the worst for the past two decades for forest fires in the Balearics and tragically, the majority were intentional, although arrests have been made and the Balearic government has threatened that anyone found guilty, once the cases come to trial, will be severely punished.

Here in Majorca, it was Costa d'en Blanes which suffered the most this summer sustaining two massive forest fires, both of which the police suspect were started on purpose.

Arson
Cala Ratjada was also hit badly and again, the fire was caused by arson while Ibiza, for the second consecutive year, also suffered.