Appears that stone age firefighting is alive and well.
Posted on 08/12/2006 9:31:26 AM PDT by Dysart
MADRID, Spain - Priceless art dating from the Stone Age has been damaged by forest fires in northwest Spain, officials said Friday. Some of the fires were set deliberately.
Colored paintings and rock carvings of wildlife and geometric patterns dating back 4,000 years have been charred and blackened by fires in Campo Lameiro and Cotobade in northwestern Galicia, said a local government spokeswoman, Iria Mendez.
It is too early to determine whether some of the art, which is considered a national treasure, has been irreparably damaged, Mendez said.
Hundreds of fires have raged through the heavily wooded northwestern corner of Spain in the last week, killing wildlife and scorching a countryside containing rare remains of early human habitation, such as the paintings and rock carvings known as petroglyphs.
Police have arrested 15 people this month, including nine in the last four days, on suspicion of starting many of the fires.
Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba visited areas around Santiago de Compostela on Friday and said some of the outbreaks were clearly planned.
"When one examines what is happening and talks to experts and police officers, one arrives at the conclusion that these are strategic fires planned with malicious intent," he said.
Emergency services fighting 124 fires include firefighting aircraft from France and Italy and 70 specialist firefighters from Portugal, the regional government said in a statement. Spain plans to deploy 200 elite army engineers to help battle the flames. On Friday, 87 fires were out of control.
Several fires threatened the outskirts of Ourense. The fires have charred more than 24,710 acres of forest and scrubland, mainly between the port city of Vigo and the regional capital of Santiago de Compostela.
____'s Fault. [Fill in the blank]
Ping
Definitely someone's fault as this was no accident. It would have been helpful if they'd gone into more detail bout the damaged artwork in the article.
What a miracle that there have been no forest fires there before in 4000 years.
Appears that stone age firefighting is alive and well.
I'm sure there are Kodak moments of all this stuff. Get over it. It has no value except the "priceless" tag we put on it. Ridiculous!!
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It's always sad when artifacts from the past are destroyed.
Here's hoping.
Based on the Arizona fires of a couple years ago, not only weren't the petroglyphs pretty much unscathed, but IIRC, they found more ruins & artifacts they hadn't know about.
To quote Mr. Barleyman Butterbur, Esq; proprietor of The Prancing Pony Inn in Bree, "mind like a lumber room: item wanted, always buried." Otherwise, I could find & post a link about it.
To quote Mr. Barleyman Butterbur, Esq; proprietor of The Prancing Pony Inn in Bree, "mind like a lumber room: item wanted, always buried."Not to be a nudge or anything, but that quote is from a letter by Gandalf, about Barliaman. It ends something like, "if he forgets, I shall roast him." ;') And that's appropriate, considering the topic. :'D
Nooooodge! Yourra nooooodge!
Correct, too; which makes it worse, Noooodge.
You're joking, right?
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