Malaga firefighters sent to Valencia to help with flood rescue efforts: 'It looks like a war zone'

Firefighters sent from Malaga province to help out with the emergency efforts in Valencia have hardly been able to rest since last Wednesday as they race against time to locate and rescue flood survivors.

An initial team made up of 17 firefighters with five vehicles have been working non-stop in the area of Alfafar, a town that will take a long time to return to normality. "It looks like a war zone," they said.

As the first to arrive, the Malaga provincial fire brigade team is in charge of coordinating all the services sent by the Andalucía region, a contingent made up of more than 120 human resources including firefighters, police, nurses and technicians. Leading them is Salva Olivas, a firefighter from Malaga, who said that "the images you are seeing do not convey even one per cent of what we are witnessing here".

Since they arrived last Wednesday 30 November, these firefighters have been concentrating on bailing out water on the main roads, in tunnels and car parks as well as checking vehicles swept away by the flood waters. While they have so far not been able to rescue any victims, they have helped prevent people from becoming trapped in flood waters.

Olivas told of a specific case of a woman who fell inside her home as a result of flood waters and was lying on the ground for three days with several broken ribs. "We are doing everything we can because the situation is very complicated," he said.

Andalusian emergency services targeted shopping centres on Sunday, where they started draining water from underground car parks. Emergency services were bracing for grim news as "ninety-nine percent of the underground car parks are still full of water".

The firefighters said work on the ground will take months. They expect to be in the area until next Wednesday, however that could change depending on how the situation evolves. "The rescue teams will not be able to do much more, and from then on heavy equipment will be needed to remove rubble," Olivas pointed out.

Despite the difficult situation, Olivas said he is grateful for the humanity and appreciation the firefighters are receiving from residents. In the areas that are devastated and where it is difficult to find food, residents "are opening up their homes to us and offering what little they have", he added.