A mountain of discarded tires piled up on the outskirts of Santa Cruz de la Soledad went up in flames in the early hours of Thursday, June 14.
The smoky blaze at the gates of the municipal government’s mechanics workshop was reported around 2:30 a.m.
Five hours later local fire fighters had managed to quell flames that rose five meters in the air, damaging electrical and telecommunications lines feeding Santa Cruz, San Nicolás de Ibarra and points as far away as San Juan Tecomatlán. Civil Protection and Fire Department Chief Enrique Perales said the fire was probably provoked by vandals whose identities are yet unknown.