More Than 144 Fires Rage In Northern Spain - Arson Arrests Continue - AFP

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More than 100 fires still raged out of control across northwestern Spain's Galicia region Friday as more arrests were announced of suspected arsonists, regional authorities said. Meanwhile a farmer died in northeastern Catalonia when his tractor overturned as he was helping to fight another blaze at Cabrera de Mar, the fourth fire-related death this summer in the Iberian peninsula.

A total of 18 people have now been arrested on suspicion of deliberately starting most of the blazes which have broken out in the past week in Galicia, up from 14 on Thursday.

Authorities said a total of 144 fires had been counted Friday, of which only 35 were under control, despite the drafting in of an unprecedented number of firemen, vehicles and aircraft.

The worst-hit area is the Atlantic coast of southern Galicia, close to the border with Portugal, which has only just recovered from the 2002 oil spill from the wrecked tanker Prestige. Inland, where the alert level remained at the maximum high, houses were evacuated overnight in the provincial capital of Ourense when flames came within three kilometres (two miles) of the town of 108,000 people.


EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/2006/060811095013.wtbzub5w.html