Castelló (EFE) the extinguishing media work to cool, review and secure the area.
This was confirmed by the Minister of Justice after meeting with the Advanced Command Post (PMA) in Barracas, where she was informed that the reduction of the flame has been “very important” to prevent the fire from advancing towards the populations that were threatened and also towards the Espadán Natural Park.
Drones to detect hot spots
During this night, according to Bravo, the ground resources and the drones of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) will continue to work, which will make it possible to detect all the hot spots in order to continue cooling the area and prevent the fire from reproducing, and also plan the action of the air and ground means for the next day.
The minister stressed that tonight the humidity level will reach practically 90 percent, “which is very positive to continue reducing the flame”, although she has warned that this “does not mean that we are at the end of the fire, there is still because the whole perimeter is very hot”.
The fire is still active
“Although the flame has been greatly reduced, it is still active due to the great intensity of heat it stores and, therefore, it is necessary, as the WFP management has informed me, to maintain the same extinguishing means tomorrow, both aerial and terrestrial”, he explained.
As he has said, work will continue in two areas: on the flank close to the town of Fuente de la Reina, where this midday the flame was already “quite reduced”, and on the “flank that most concerned us this morning, the Montán area, in the direction of Montanejos, to prevent the flames from reaching the Sierra de Espadán”.
Support for the evicted
“After showing their support and solidarity with the people who have already been away from their homes for so many days”, they have been informed that the extinction professionals “are working tirelessly to extinguish this fire and allow them to recover their normality”.
“We are worried about them because we know that they are having a hard time, but we want to tell them that everything has been done to guarantee safety,” said Bravo, who also thanked the efforts of the professionals who are working “and it has been a very hard”.
On Thursday the west wind will return
According to Bravo, “we need one more effort, to be there, so that our forces do not wane, because we have little left to be able to stop this. It is true that there is still a hard night and a hard day tomorrow, especially since this window of opportunity that the weather gives us is essential”.
“On Thursday, when the west wind and much more adverse weather return again, we will be much more prepared,” stressed the Minister of Justice, who indicated that the perimeter of the fire has not changed throughout the afternoon – 55 kilometers – nor the affected area – some 4,600 hectares.
Although the evolution during the morning has been “complicated” by the thermal inversion that has occurred in the Montán and Montanejos area, the evolution during the afternoon “has been very positive, because the flames have been greatly reduced.”
As long as there is risk, they will not be able to return to their homes
Regarding the return of the evicted residents to their homes, he said that at this moment “we cannot consider” this situation and although the afternoon has been positive and the evolution favorable “we are facing a fire of a great magnitude, of many points hot and, therefore, could be activated at any time”.
“As long as there is a risk and we cannot guarantee the safety of the neighbours, we cannot make those decisions”, Bravo indicated, adding that, depending on how it evolves tomorrow “and if, as we hope, the weather continues to help and is Similar to today, we could consider some decisions regarding the return of the neighbors”.
But, he has qualified, “I insist that the fire is still active, the risk is still there and as long as we cannot guarantee security, we cannot rethink the return of the neighbors.”