It's Saturday lunchtime, the fires have finally died (I hope) and I'm looking forward to an afternoon watching the first mountain stage of the Le Tour de France. But in the meantime I shall show you the remaining photos, thus far, as well as a couple of short video clips, one with me almost getting dumped upon by one of the fire-fighting helicopters (see Video 1)!
On Wednesday I went out on my mountain bike up through the forest tracks behind our house (to the North). The roads were still largely closed and I figured this would be the best way for me to see what was happening on the ground. To get access to the forest I have to traverse the barranca (a dry river bed valley) and then up the other side. Within 10 minutes of entering the forest I had climbed to roughly 600m altitude and as the forest began to open up the blackened, charred mountain peaks began to rear their smoking heads. Then as I headed down towards the small, back-road that leads to Alcublas in one direction and Andilla in the other. Andilla is where the fires had started the previous Thursday evening, but everything was still closed off in that direction and there was still a lot of aerial fire-fighting going on over there. Instead I turned my bike towards Alcublas and almost immediately I came upon this small fire below
Figure 1. I found this fire just off the back-road between Alcublas and Andilla.
Figure 2. The flames were as high asa house, though it might not look it there, the flames were down in a dip and what you are seeing is just the tops of the flames. It was too hot for me to get any closer.
Figure 3. Behind me the Guardia Civil watched the fire from the safety of the road.
Figure 4. Two minutes after this photo was taken a helicopter dumped it's payload of water on the fire (Video 2) and the Guardia came down to move me on!
Figure 5. As I rode along the road to Alcublas both sides of the road were completely destroyed. Photos can never do it justice ....or should that be injustice? Everywhere was smouldering and the stench was, in places, almost overwhelming.
Figure 6. The ash on the ground and the bare trees gave the scene a very wintry feel almost as if it had snowed.
Figure 7. Smoke was still rising from almost evert angle.
Figures 8, 9 & 10. Everything seemed washed-out and pale. A week before this had all been protected pine forests. I never dreamed it could all change so quickly, so dramatically and so completely. It will never be as it was before.
Figure 11. The higher mountain tops around Alcublas were just massive crematoriums.
Figure 12. In places the fire had consumed the trees completely and they looked just like rows of burned matchsticks waiting to be flicked over.
Figure 13. Both sides of the road had been swallowed.
Figure 14. The only survivors were lower lying fields and open areas free of vegetation. The contrast between the two is stark and unforgiving.
Figures 15 & 16. Rows of matchsticks waiting for breeze to topple them all.
Figure 17. The northern side of Alcublas had been stripped bare. This was area rich in vineyards and natural pine forests. But now.....there is nothing left.
Figure 18. Looking further north towards Altura which has also been heavily affected by the fires. I'll go to see as soon as I can.
Figure 19. Taken from the road back down the mountain in the direction of Casinos.
And here's the video of me taking an 'early bath'!
Hope you liked that! Back soon.....
P XXXX
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