Firefighters stabilize the Almeria fire and the Andalusian government authorizes the return of a thousand evacuees
The fire has caused the death of 12 people and has affected about 7,000 hectares
The extinction work of the fire in Almeria continued throughout the early hours of this Sunday by the Andalusian forest firefighters (INFOCA) and the Military Emergencies Unit (UME), who have finally managed to stabilize it. It is the third day of fighting a fire that, so far, has caused the death of 12 people, the official disappearance of 8, and the burning of 7,000 hectares with a perimeter of more than 40 kilometers. Taking into account the favorable evolution, the president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, has announced the return of 1,000 people evacuated due to this fire.
The improvement on the ground has been possible thanks to a window of opportunity because "the meteorological conditions of the night have been extremely positive", with humidity above 90% and lower wind incidence. From the advanced command post in Turre, the Andalusian president told journalists that this is "the beginning of the end" of the fire and that a team of about a hundred people is maintained to comb the area in search of any possible further victims.
"Everyone will be able to return home", assured Moreno, who detailed that the return will be progressive and with all safety guarantees throughout this Sunday. Regarding the state of the urban areas, he assured that almost all houses have remained intact thanks to the intense protection work deployed by the emergency services. As for the injured, four people continue to be hospitalized, stable within the seriousness, at the Virgen del Rocío Hospital in Seville.
No victim has yet been identified, despite the fact that the biology department of the criminalistics service of the Guardia Civil has already obtained the genetic profile of the twelve people who have lost their lives in this tragic fire.
A night of work
Throughout the night, the Second Intervention Battalion for Emergencies BIEM II of the UME has carried out firefighting tasks, attacked punctual flare-ups, and secured the perimeter. They have done this using drones, with which they have located the most critical points of the fire, such as the municipalities of El Chive, Lubrín, El Marchal, Bédar, and Los Gallardos, as they stated on their social media; all coordinated with the tasks of the Civil Guard, which has checked the roads and the most isolated homes.
