"It's a lost life": the neighbors of Anoia who have been left without businesses due to the flames

La Pobla de ClaramuntAfter a night of confinement, the residents of La Pobla de Claramunt woke up this Tuesday to smoke in the streets and a strong smell of burning. Also with two pieces of news: the decontainment order and the first confirmations of the impact of the fire that has been burning in Anoia for hours. Some of those who have received the worst part of the flames that are still burning – although early this morning the Firefighters declared the fire stabilized – are the owners of the warehouses in the industrial estates near the fire.

In fact, there are owners who have directly seen their business ravaged by the flames. "It's a lost life," lament the owners of the Macotoya mattress factory, a "lifelong" company that had been located in the industrial estate for twenty years. They explain that they have lost everything. A kilometer from the burnt-out warehouse, firefighters continue to spray the still-smoking land with seaplanes.

Dani, Sandra and Cristina are employees of Screen Protectors, a company right next to the mattress factory which, however, has been saved from the fire. They explain that when the fire broke out there was no one left in the company, and that fortunately the flames did not reach it. "We thought: 'The next one will be ours,'" they recall, and they warn that the situation would have become complicated, since inside the company there is "machinery and iron that would have been a significant load for the fire." They detail that among the warehouses there are some that have wheat and others with chemicals, and that "if the fire had jumped, it could have been a powder keg." "If the firefighters had not arrived in time to stop the fire, it would have been a tragedy," they admit.

30,000 confined and six injured

Firefighters have managed to stabilize the fire, which has already affected more than 400 hectares, around eight in the morning, after the flames on Monday evening forced Civil Protection to request the confinement of up to 33,000 residents. For the moment, the Fire Department maintains about thirty ground crews, and there is no forecast for when the fire can be declared under control.

On the other hand, SEM has assisted up to six people due to the Anoia fire; specifically, six men. One of them has been seriously injured and has been transferred to the Hospital d'Igualada. The other five assisted are lightly injured, three of whom have also been taken to the Hospital d'Igualada, and two have been discharged in situ.