Gold for La Gomera firefighters

A prestigious national Spanish jury (APAS) has awarded this year's gold medal for firefighting to a brigade from La Gomera who heroically battled the forest fires for many weeks in the national park and finally succeeded in extinguishing a three miles long front that was  extremely difficult to reach on the ground and could not even be tackled from the air. This fire-front also spread to thickly forested cliffs in a ravine and was even burning underground through roots and other organic matter. Had this fire not been put out it would have posed a grave danger to valley and town of Vallehermoso.
The jury also commended the work by all the many other brigades and organisations involved in battling this year's fires. The 'Batefuegos' Gold award is an initiative that intends to reduce the number of forest fires that are caused each year in Spain.
For a video of another brigade in action on La Gomera this summer click: http://vimeo.com/47707399
See also new page 'Fire on La Gomera 2012' (tab beside 'Home')

The front mentioned above is seen in the top left of the picture (August 2012)  © acfi press