Madrid, 30 (EFE).- The two biggest fires declared so far this year in Spain, the one in Villanueva de Viver (Castellón), on the border with Teruel, and the one in Baleira (Lugo), which was stabilized, they have already destroyed a total of 6,100 hectares.
The fires affecting Cáceres and Asturias are also worrying, while in Teruel the emergency level has dropped due to improved conditions.
High risk situation in Castellón
In Castellón, the forecast is of “high risk” for today and tomorrow, since strong winds are expected from the west, with gusts of up to 70 kilometers per hour, and humidity of less than 20%, conditions that can cause regrowth with a chimney effect. which can cause rapid spread and large plumes of smoke.
For this reason, aerial means will focus on acting on any possible ignition caused by the west wind, especially in areas not accessible by ground means.
The fire, which broke out a week ago in Villanueva de Viver and has so far devastated 4,700 hectares, has a perimeter of more than 50 kilometers and around 300 ground troops and 17 aerial means are working on it.
The critical points of the fire continue in the area where the fall was recorded (CV-195 road in Montan) and in the Fuente La Reina area (Pudia ravine).
The incident also affects the municipality of San Agustín, in the province of Teruel, where the situation has improved compared to previous days, so that the Operational Coordination Center has lowered the emergency level to 0.
In this line, the withdrawal of means will continue and the Advanced Command Post (PMA) will also be deactivated, which has been located these days in the Castellón town of Barracas.
In Lugo, without danger to the populations
In Galicia, the Ministry of Rural Affairs has reported that the fire that started last Tuesday in Cubilledo, in Baleira, has been stabilized and has devastated 1,400 hectares of that town hall and the neighboring municipalities of A Fonsagrada and Ribeira de Piquín.
The Ministry itself had already deactivated alert situation 2 in the forest fire this morning, by referring the danger to population centers.
According to the mayor of Baleira, Ángel Enrique Martínez-Puga, the means of extinction try to cool the areas devastated by the fire, “cooling” those places where the flames can be fanned and “very dependent on the wind.”
Regarding the other three fires that started yesterday in the province of Lugo, the one in the parish of Vieiro, in the municipality of Viveiro, in A Mariña Lugo, after razing some 80 hectares, remains stabilized.
Another fire has been brought under control in the municipality of Taboada, in the parish of Xián, where 8 hectares burned, while in Alfoz, in Lagoa, a fire that has already burned 90 hectares remains stabilized.
Asturias, with 107 fires
In Asturias, 107 forest fires remain active in more than thirty councils, many of them small and in high scrubland areas, according to sources from the extinction operation.
Efforts are focused mainly on the western area, which is the area of greatest concern, in the councils of Tineo, Allande, Valdés and Villayón, as well as in Piloña, in the eastern part of the community.
According to the Government delegate in Asturias, Delia Losa, the Civil Guard is “clear” that many of these fires have been intentional and “is investigating possible suspects”, with no arrests so far.
The twenty people evicted last night from their homes in the towns of Aristebano and Caborno, in the municipality of Valdés, are being able to return to their homes, at least to collect belongings because that focus is still “very unstable”, he pointed out.
The operation deployed in the community was reinforced this Thursday with two seaplanes from the Ministry for Ecological Transition. In addition, the mobilization of a brigade to reinforce forest fires from Cáceres has been requested, which will thus be added to that of Tineo, to act in Villayón.
Together with the two seaplanes provided by the Ministry, the operation has a total of five helicopters: one for each brigade, two from SEPA and another for reconnaissance from the Military Emergency Unit (UME), which yesterday moved from its base in León to the Tineo area with 95 troops and 40 vehicles.
Salamanca and Caceres
The fire declared on Wednesday on the border between Puerto de Béjar (Salamanca) and Cáceres continues to burn in Extremadura and was caused by burning chestnut pruning remains, according to sources from the Junta de Castilla y León.
The two communities collaborate with land and air means in the extinction work.
Fires in Cantabria rise to 31
In Cantabria there are 31 active fires, of which eleven have originated this Thursday, and a seaplane from the Ministry for Ecological Transition has joined the extinction work, which is acting in the area of La Cotera, in the municipality of Rionansa .
Another of those new fires that started this Thursday is located in Tresviso, a municipality located in the Picos de Europa National Park and which is located at the highest point among the 102 Cantabrian municipalities, at more than 900 meters.
