Buried for hundreds of years: ancient treasure rescued from the flames in Spain
The fire in the north of the country threatened a historical site and led to a dramatic rescue operation. The teams entered the area under the threat of fire and evacuated ancient bones belonging to three kings from the 11th century, alongside rare paintings and ceremonial clothing. The findings were removed from the area and transferred to a museum until the danger passes.
Authorities in Spain evacuated on Thursday the remains of historical figures from the 11th century, after a large fire approached the historical monastery of San Juan de la Peña. The remains, alongside other rare items, were transferred under security to the district museum until conditions in the area improve and the danger passes.
The fire began to rage on Monday and approached the monastery in a threatening manner on Thursday evening. The fear that the flames would reach the historical site and destroy local heritage led authorities to launch a rapid emergency operation to evacuate items and remains of historical importance.
A team from the Spanish Military Emergency Unit managed to enter the monastery, located in a mountainous area with difficult access, and first evacuate ceremonial clothing that belonged to an 18th-century count buried at the site. However, due to the approaching flames and thick smoke, the team was forced to leave the monastery in a hurry. Later, the team returned to the site accompanied by police and heritage authority personnel, and evacuated the bones of the first three kings of Aragon, who ruled the area between 1035 and 1104, alongside historical paintings of great value.
So far, more than 9,000 dunams have burned in the large fire raging in the area, and 16 settlements have been evacuated. At the same time, in southern Spain, another large fire intensified on Thursday, which has already consumed about 31,000 dunams in the Huelva province and led to the evacuation of about 700 people from their homes.
