Five more fires set in the Calasparra and Moratalla areas on Saturday night have put Calasparra on high alert for an arsonist.
Fire investigators have declared the fires, including Friday´s fire on San Miguel, “intentional” and have mounted a watch on the hills surrounding the town.
Meanwhile, the Mayor of Calasparra, Jose Velez, was forced to issue a message of calm on Saturday night as social network sites registered the mounting panic of residents.
Only the rapid intervention of the fire fighting forces prevented the rapid spread of the fires.
On Saturday fire crews fought to control blazes at the Railway Station in Calasparra; Campillo-Cañaverosa and El Chopillo-Architana after receiving warnings of “grave and very active” fires.
“The fires were obviously set by the hand of man,” says fire investigators, “given they were set within a short period of time and their proximity.”
By Sunday all the fires had been extinguished and tributes have been pouring in for the fire fighting forces, both local and regional, who have battled throughout two nights over the weekend to control the fires and limit the damage and safeguard residents.
