A fire on the banks of the river at Menjú , Cieza, at lunchtime on Saturday burned more than a hectare of protected forest destroying palm trees, eucaliptus, poplars, willows and elms and the habitat of otters and birds of prey.
The fire, which started for as yet unknown reasons, took hold on the river bank near the old Electricity Station and was fanned by winds in the direction of Abarán.
Firefighters from Cieza, Blanca-Abarán and Calasparra extinguished the blaze.
The same area was totally destroyed by fire in 2005.
