Concern over two active fires in Castelló and Huelva
The fire in Andalusia has forced the evacuation of some 400 people and has already burned 4,000 hectares
BarcelonaThe situation with the fires continues without pause. A forest fire in Tírig, Castelló, with 250 hectares affected, is mobilizing dozens of personnel after a day with simultaneous fires in the area, most of them caused by lightning. Another fire in Niebla, Huelva, is also of particular concern, already affecting 4,000 hectares and leaving a toll of around 400 people evacuated. The fire is causing a column of smoke visible from various points in the provinces of Huelva and Seville.
After 70 people were evacuated in the first hours of the fire, this Saturday afternoon the Junta de Andalucía sent a new ES-Alert message for the evacuation of about 340 people from various surrounding towns. Also this afternoon, the resources of the Military Emergencies Unit (UME) have been expanded to combat this forest fire, reaching 250 personnel and 100 vehicles. The terrain is complicated and the wind, for the moment, is not ceasing either. The Junta de Andalucía has reported that three firefighters had to be attended to, and two of them have been hospitalized. Both have already been discharged from the hospital.
The wind is also not an ally in the Castelló fire. This Friday, an electrical storm was recorded in the area, with more than 100 lightning strikes, which caused four fires. So far, all have been stabilized and controlled except for the one in Tírig, where most of the firefighters' efforts are concentrated. During the afternoon, confinements and some evacuations of scattered houses from the other fires have been lifted, but the Tírig front is worrying, which is why this evening an ES-Alert was sent requesting the confinement of the town of Catí, where about 700 people live. For the night, the forecasts are not entirely bad, as high humidity is expected to rise and firefighters are managing to sectorize the fire.
Sánchez shows concern
The President of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, has stated that they are following "with concern the evolution of the fires in Huelva and Castellón". "All my support to the neighbors who have had to be evacuated from their homes," he added. Both the situation in Huelva and Castellón have required activating situation 2 of the Special Plan for Forest Fires, which requires the mobilization of extraordinary resources.
Only two weeks ago, in Castellón, a serious fire was registered in La Vall d’Uixó, which affected almost 10,000 hectares and forced the evacuation of about 16,000 people. Now, this fire is occurring about 70 kilometers further north.