The emergency services were called out to the third fire in 24 hours in Calasparra when lightening ignited vegetation on the Sierra del Puerto, near the lookout post overlooking the Sanctuary.
The fire was reported at 4pm today, Wednesday, and two helicopters and fire brigades from Calasparra and Caravaca brought the fire under control within a couple of hours of emergency calls.
Yesterday, Tuesday, at 4.30pm a fire on three fronts was reported in the Esparragal area of Calasparra and helicopteres and three fire brigades were called in to tackle the blaze.
A plane flew over the area during the last hours of daylight and eventually declared the fire controlled and extinguished at about 9.10pm. However, emergency services worked through the night to keep the area damped down and safe.
Then at 10.22pm last night several callers contacted the emergency services to report a fire on the Sierra del Puerto, some 15 kilometres from the Esparragal site. The flames affected between 500 and 1,000 square metres of pasture and adult pines near the railway lines and Calasparra station.
The recent heatwave and lack of rain has turned the slopes and woodlands around Spain into a tinderbox and currently there are three major forest fires raging through the country. There is currently a prohibition on lighting fires or barbecues in all country areas.
