A huge tyre dump near Madrid was ablaze Friday, releasing a black cloud of toxic fumes and forcing the evacuation of nearby residents after what officials suspect was an arson attack. Firefighters and water-dropping helicopters battled to extinguish the blaze which broke out before dawn at the tyre dump near the town of Sesena, 45 kilometres (28 miles) south of Madrid. "Everything points to the fact that this disaster was deliberate," Sesena Mayor Carlos Velazquez told Spanish radio, adding that there had been days of rain in the area, making accidental ignition unlikely.
