BLAZE SHUTS ROAD NEAR AIRPORT

Guardia Civil, local and National Police deployed to guarantee public safety

A FIERCE fire caused chaos near Alicante-Elche airport on Wednesday (see photo).

The blaze forced part of the N-340 road to be closed for nearly 24-hours as fire fighters worked non-stop to control and extinguish the blaze. Thick, black smoke was visible for miles around and many people posted photos on social media, several of them fearing that the airport had been affected. The source was a plot of land next to the N340 that was being used to store tonnes of waste clothing, located near a parking area that serves the airport.

It had started at 10.19, reported the provincial fire brigade, and the tall piles of compressed bundles containing various fabrics burned intensely, producing extreme heat and dense clouds of smoke.

State airport company AENA noted that although the wind helped to dissipate this so it did not affect flights, it also hindered the efforts to control the flames and prevent them from spreading.

A total of 22 fire fighters were sent from Elche, Crevillente, San Vicente del Raspeig and the airport itself.

Once they eventually got the blaze under control, they had to remove the material gradually as they extinguished the fire over the course of the day and night.

The N-340 was closed at the Aitana school roundabout and from Agua Amarga, which caused problems for motorists, especially parents when they came to pick up their children.

Numerous Guardia Civil and local and National Police were deployed in the area to guarantee public safety.

Police detectives and forensics were also sent to determine if the fire had been started deliberately, although they would be unable to carry out much of their work until the fire was out the following day.

Elche local police finally announced at 08.00 yesterday (Thursday) that the road had been reopened, and they thanked and the emergency services and authorities that had helped with the operation.

Regional newspaper Diario Información reported that the landowner claimed he was in a legal dispute with his tenant because the plot did not have authorisation to store waste clothing.