A thick black column of smoke could be seen across southern Torrevieja on Friday afternoon as a fire destroyed over a dozen cars and a scrap metal business in Los Balcones close to the lagoon. The smoke could be seen from many parts of the region, in addition to the intense smell given off by the material that was burned in the incident.
The fire broke out on Calle Germanías in Lago Sol and spread from an area of vegetation onto the plot, however, thanks to the quick and effective arrival of the Alicante Provincial Firefighters Consortium, the fire was contained in time, avoiding further damage.
Three fire tenders attended the scene along with a sergeant, a corporal and six firefighters from the Torrevieja park. The teams quickly brought the outbreak under control and were able to protect a nearby home from being caught up in the fire.
The fire was brought under control at 4:10 p.m. and, at 6:52 p.m. the Firefighters declared it extinguished. No injuries were reported as a result of the incident.
Following the fire, the Torrevieja Green Party, Los Verdes, revealed that, for many year, residents had been denouncing the “illegal” activity of storing damaged vehicles on the protected land in the natural park without “the Council taking any action.”
According to the former mayor of Torrevieja, José Manuel Dolón, “The Greens and many local residents have repeatedly denounced this situation of irregularity without the municipal government having lifted a finger. These are constructions and activities that do not have a municipal license nor can they obtain one because the Governing Plan for the Use and Management of the Lagunas de la Mata and Torrevieja Natural Park of 2010, the Generalitat Valencian, prohibits any activity or major work that could have any type of impact on the park.”
