Fires spread across Caracas' El Avila national park

www.vheadline.com Posted: Wednesday, March 19, 2003 By: Robert Rudnicki

Forrest fires are continuing to spread across at least ten hectares of the El Avila national park, stretching from Avenida Baralt to La Florida as fire fighters struggle to get the blazes under control.

The National Guard are on the scene assisting the Metropolitan Fire Brigade in fighting the fires, but strong winds are currently making their jobs much more difficult as the fires continue to spread. The current blazes are around the two hundredth on El Avila in the past year.

Fire fighters are hoping for a change in weather conditions to help them bring the fires under control, but remain concerned about their ability to prevent the blazes from spreading if dry weather and strong winds persist.