Two forest fires on La Palma island

Image source: La Palma fire brigades via gomeranoticias.com

Two forest fires which were just a short distance apart were fought in the El Paso region on the island of La Palma yesterday. There was concern that they may have been started deliberately because they were so close to each other. The first was put out relatively swiftly, though not before burning nearly 2000 square metres of trees and shrubs. The second broke out a few hours later and local officials admitted late last night that it looked worse even though firefighters managed to establish a perimeter around it before midnight and were optmistic that it would eventually burn itself out. With temperatures  falling in the area this morning, the emergency services have brought the blazes under control fully, although the smoke rising from the spot has given locals anxious moments,  and  a helicopter was sent to provide support from the air in the battle to quench the flames. One road leading to the area had been completely closed yesterday.