Firefighters continue battling Spain forest blaze

Madrid, Aug 4 (IANS) Firefighters on Friday continued to put out a massive forest blaze in Spain's Galicia region, local authorities said.

According to the authorities in Spain's verdant Galicia region, some 2,965 acres of land has been scorched by the inferno since it broke out on Thursday afternoon in the mountainous countryside close to the small city of Verin, located near the Portuguese border, reports Efe news.

A senior regional officer said the fire appeared to have been deliberately started and added: "It began in a perfect area for it to spread a lot, on a slope and exposed to the wind in a zone, furthermore, full of impressive areas of reforested pine and chestnut trees."

Although a high-alert status was in place over the affected area, the officer insisted that the fire did not pose a threat to nearby settlements.

Around 400 people have been deployed to tackle the blaze, with added support from 12 water-dropping helicopters and seven specialised airplanes.

High summer temperatures in Spain and Portugal provide the ideal atmosphere for forest fires.

A huge blaze that engulfed Portugal's Pedrogao Grande area in June killed 64 people, many of whom lost their lives as they tried to escape the hellish flames in their vehicles.