Article

2005-08-09 Europe

Two people die as 'deliberate' forest fires ravage Spain

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by leader of the pack 2005-08-09 07:19|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 There are many fires each year in France too, and most of them are deliberate.

I'm certainly bigoted in thinking that, but I can't help having the (probably at least partially unjustified) impression that a disproportionnate part of theses fires are lighted by yobs of north-african background.
Some of the arsonist caught are voluntary firefighters of farmers, but from last year I recall having a few infos about for example a serial arsonist near Marseilles who was a "youth" (coded word for muslim "juvenile", up to 35 years old and counting), or how firebombs were used to set several fires at once in several locations.

There seems to be a tropism of such "youths" with fire, from church, school, gymnasium,... arsons to garbage cans, cars (tens of thousand each years, over 400 in Paris area on this 14th july alone) fire... not to mention horrific cases of people being assaulted with flammable materials, like this nurse set on fire by a "maniac" on Xmas day two years ago IIRC (she lost her two hands), to a young muslim girl being burnt alive for refusing herself to a suitor (who was hailed as a hero by the crowd of his pals when police brang him back for re-enactement), or to that mall cop disfigured and maimed by a firebomb when the mall was swarmed by an aggressive revenge-seeking gang of homeboys.

I can't help thinking perhaps there is a quasi-terrorist touch to this, a bit like the forest arsons in Israel (wasn't there a claim about Us fires being terrorist too?), probably not even organized by a "mastermind", but as a general symptom of contempt and hatred for the country, or sheer badness.
But then again, I'm probably just paranoid.

Posted by anonymous5089 2005-08-09 08:38|| 2005-08-09 08:38|| Front Page Top

#2 Yes, last year several groups boasted that they had set some of the wildfires in the US southwest. Difficult to verify, since there are large tracts of undeveloped land there and lightening strikes are common.

As I recall they were al-Qaeda affiliates and boasted that Allah was giving them helpful conditions (a relative drought) for the 'attacks'.

Posted by leader of the pack 2005-08-09 09:33|| 2005-08-09 09:33|| Front Page Top

#3 I won't absolutely rule it out, but we've had local idiots starting fires out here for decades.

Worse, our area is becoming more susceptable to fire, as non-native invasive species come in. The Sonoran desert never used to burn, as there was too little fuel spaced too far apart. Now things like African Bufflegrass (thanks, Mexico) in filling in the areas, so it can burn, killing the native vegetation (Saguaros explode like a jihadi), and being the only thing that grows back after a fire.

Posted by Jackal">Jackal 2005-08-09 10:30|| home.earthlink.net/~sleepyjackal/index.html]">[home.earthlink.net/~sleepyjackal/index.html] 2005-08-09 10:30|| Front Page Top

23:58 Jan
23:49 bigjim-ky
23:47 Chris W.
23:47 BigEd
23:45 BigEd
23:44 Poison Reverse
23:43 Chris W.
23:43 bigjim-ky
23:40 Alaska Paul
23:38 bigjim-ky
23:22 Pappy
23:16 Pappy
23:09 3dc
23:08 Pappy
23:00 jules 2
22:56 Sock Puppet 0â Doom
22:54 Captain America
22:35 Sock Puppet 0â Doom
22:26 Frank G
22:24 Sock Puppet 0â Doom
22:11 Alaska Paul
21:55 Robert Crawford
21:39 Darrell
21:37 Old Patriot