Thousands of date palms have been burnt in UNESCO World Heritage orchards in Elche. Thousands of palm trees were scorched in four separate orchards during the early hours of Saturday morning, according to Alicante’s Provincial Consortium of Fire fighters.
The first fire was reported around 0.50am, in a palm orchard in La Hoya. Later, at around 2.25am, there was a second fire in palm orchard near Algorós. Minutes later, another garden had started to burn, this time next to the CV-856 at the 1km mark. Finally, at 6 o’clock in the morning, a fourth fire was reported next to the CV-851 at the 2km mark.
A total of 25 fire fighters from the Provincial Consortium arrived from Elche, Crevillent, San Vicente and Almoradí to put out the blaze, alongside a six-strong unit of forest fire fighters.
The Palmeral of Elche has close to 200,000 date palm trees, covering 3.5 sq km. It is the only palm grove in Europe, and palmeros still honour agricultural traditions passed down from the Moorish civilisation.
Initial signs reportedly indicate the fires were intentional. The Local Police of Elche, together with the Fire Department and the National Police have announced that an investigation has been opened to clarify the causes.