Cabrera is on fire again

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Jool
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Cabrera is on fire again

Postby Jool » Thu Jul 23, 2009 6:45 pm

Cabrera well alight again, have heard that Mojacar pueblo has just been evacuated, the school is apparently alight, smoke too thick to take photos.......it was 44C here today......

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Re: Cabrera is on fire again

Postby Jool » Thu Jul 23, 2009 8:27 pm

Its still out of control.......the only road left out of Mojacar is log jammed.........Turre been evacuated as well......

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murbisa
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Re: Cabrera is on fire again

Postby murbisa » Thu Jul 23, 2009 9:34 pm

Sounds terrible Jool. We have had 4 fires round here lately. 3 small ones and a big one. Everything is so dry at the moment. Hope you are not too close to it!!
Keep us posted.

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Re: Cabrera is on fire again

Postby Jool » Thu Jul 23, 2009 9:43 pm


Jool
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Re: Cabrera is on fire again

Postby Jool » Fri Jul 24, 2009 6:17 am

A local forum is reporting that Lenox´s house has been burnt (he has been posting on here recently), Mojacar residents spent hours on the beach where they were evacuated to, air is still very hazy but no sign of flames or the very orange red sky we had last night now......200 anti fire specialists attended and the fire was headed towards western beach area of Mojacar.........this is reported as a more violent fire than that of last week....and the wind is due to strengthen again this afternoon.

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Re: Cabrera is on fire again

Postby Jool » Fri Jul 24, 2009 7:45 am

Look at the image

http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/pu ... 2479.shtml

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Chrissie
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Re: Cabrera is on fire again

Postby Chrissie » Fri Jul 24, 2009 10:43 pm

I just saw the report on the BBC Ten o'Clock News. It looks dreadful, and so sad that 6 firemen have died, particularly if the fires were deliberately started as they were suggesting on the report. I hope you're not too near that area Jool? Take care....x
The past cannot be changed, but the present can be spoilt by worrying about the future

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Re: Cabrera is on fire again

Postby swerve » Sat Jul 25, 2009 5:33 am

It always seems imposible until its done. Nelson Mandela

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avellana
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Re: Cabrera is on fire again

Postby avellana » Sat Jul 25, 2009 7:08 am

This is a terrible reminder of the power of the wind!
Thank you for posting the link.

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Re: Cabrera is on fire again

Postby Jool » Sat Jul 25, 2009 7:37 am

Thanks Chrissie and Murbisa,

It is terrible, so much has been destroyed and Mojacar town Hall have apparently announced that 50 houses were lost to the fire and many other buildings damaged. Most people were evacuated because of the intensity of the smoke and that has been hanging over everywhere, we are getting black cinders in the air.......its not that far from us - we saw the flames but it has now gone round the other side of the mountain so away from us...its still burning / too hot but now under control apparently. Property owners struggled as water was still cut off to many areas from the previous fire and thus they had nothing with which to protect their homes.......however everyone seems to agree it was a very well organised and well carried out evacuation operation.......

Yesterday there were displaced people all over the place who had been forced to leave but many have now been able to go back.

No one died in the fire as far as we know, the firemen who died were in a fire in Tarragona I think - have a look at the BBC website

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8168230.stm

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Re: Cabrera is on fire again

Postby katy » Sat Jul 25, 2009 7:48 am

Sounds awful Jool :( Glad it didn't get to your area. It is frightening when you see it close to the house.

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Re: Cabrera is on fire again

Postby K chameleon » Sat Jul 25, 2009 8:51 am

Best wishes Jool, looks terrifying.

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Re: Cabrera is on fire again

Postby BENIDORM » Sat Jul 25, 2009 8:53 am

The horrible truth about many of the fires in Spain , over the years ,is that many have been started deliberately, usually by local people, ..family feuds..insurance scams etc.

The land is so dry, so it is very easy to start a fire and then the wind takes over..

Our first house in Spain was affected by a fire, the police evacuated us, and threw all of the gas bottles into the pool...which was a bit worrying as later a helicopter sucked all of the water out of the pool..I had visions of my gas bottles becoming 'bombs'..
We were lucky as the fire burnt everything up to our wall then it turned direction, really scary the speed the fire and smoke moves..it's the smoke that kills...
Horrible thought having to go back to find your house destroyed...

Regards,
Gordon

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Re: Cabrera is on fire again

Postby Lavanda » Sat Jul 25, 2009 12:37 pm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8168230.stm

Just seen it Jool!!! OMG. Stay safe. :shock: :shock: :shock:

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Re: Cabrera is on fire again

Postby Jool » Sat Jul 25, 2009 2:47 pm

BBC coverage is a bit out of date as the fire is largely out now, some hot pockets flaring up again in the heat and wind today. The images they show are from Thursday and Friday.

Lenox Napier, a forum member, reports on his blog that the fire went through his property, destroyed everything EXCEPT the house, the stables, pool house and animals all gone. He reports seeing birds flying ahead of the flames with their wings on fire. Until you see it you really cannot explain how terrifying it is............Cabrera was the most beautiful area around close up and at a distance, now it is a charred and ugly. No one knows the full extent of the damage and it is ahrd to give accurate reportsonly that houses have been totally destroyed.

No water anywhere as pipes and pumps were burnt out, we are lucky as we are not on mains water so only experienced significant pressure drop.

I sincerely hope this forces the spanish government to take the medio ambiente more seriously, clear brush, mange the land and trees, and enforce fire rules every time they see smoke (a local person lit a bonfire here on Wednesday, it burned for 2 hours, next to open heath land........culprit really should know better as offspring of policeman).

It means we all need to think about things like - wooden pergolas outside our houses as properties with those fared worst as the wood intensified the fire, is your land and garden insured as well as your house? Apparently spanish insurance covers the house itself but not trees, gardens, walls etc unless you take out the addition especially!

If in the country do you have fire break near your house? If not can you create one (with permission)? How would you escape if there was a fire? There was only one road out of Mojacar and that was logjammed. In the end the police forced residents to leave their vehicles at home and walk to the beach and then wait for buses to ship them out once the roads were free.

In the event of emergency do you have your vital documents in one folder to pick up and leave as the door knock means leave NOW.

How would you get your animals out?

It has really made me think - we have open land all around us and ALL our escape routes would be at risk as all are across the same open land...........

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Re: Cabrera is on fire again

Postby Jool » Sat Jul 25, 2009 2:56 pm

This is the latest situation

http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/pu ... 2493.shtml

lenox
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Re: Cabrera is on fire again

Postby lenox » Sat Jul 25, 2009 4:19 pm

Hi Jool and all - thanks for keeping this topic 'hot'. It has been verty frightening here in Mojacar and now it appears that the fire was 'provoked'.
I'm adding stuff to my website as I get it - at http://www.theentertaineronline.com
Un saludo.

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Re: Cabrera is on fire again

Postby masterob » Sat Jul 25, 2009 4:22 pm

Cabrera was the most beautiful area around close up and at a distance
Jool, it was a very beautiful area and one we seriously considered back in 2003 when we were researching potential areas to move to. Such a shame.

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Re: Cabrera is on fire again

Postby chaosvilla » Sat Jul 25, 2009 5:36 pm

It looked so awful on the news, was really concerned, after being on the forum for a while now and getting to know peoples names, but not actually knowing where any of you lived.
So glad to hear that you are all safe, and sorry that houses, animals and belongings have been lost
Thinking of you all
regards
Geraldine

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Re: Cabrera is on fire again

Postby katy » Sat Jul 25, 2009 9:25 pm

Hope the Insurance turns out better than the policies many held with Zurich a few years ago when there was the big mijas fire. Small print covered b***** all!


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