ARCHIVED - El Saladillo wildfire under control: photo gallery of the fight against the fire

The scrub fire on a hillside near Camposol has been contained by firefighters

The bushfire in El Saladillo and Camposol, Mazarrón, has been brought under control, according to sources from the Emergency Coordination Centre 112 Region of Murcia, but not before burning through between 1.5 and 2 hectares of land.

The fire started in an electricity pylon yesterday afternoon, Monday July 11, and quickly spread to the rest of the El Saladillo hillside. Although energy company Iberdrola were quick in shutting off power to the tower, the dry bushes and esparto grass surrounding it quickly caught fire.

Fire crews worked throughout the evening, with planes dropping buckets of water on the flames, and at 8.37pm, the fire was declared ‘Stabilised’. Forty minutes later, they updated the status of the fire to ‘Controlled’, meaning that it has not been fully extinguished but that firefighters have “managed to isolate and halt the advance and spread [of the fire] within its control plan”.

Residents of Camposol and other surrounding areas could see the fire from their homes, and have praised firefighters for their brave and decisive work.

Images: 112 Región de Murcia