Castelló (EFE) houses.
Puig has made this announcement after the meeting at the Barracas Advanced Command Post (PMA) -which he has attended electronically-, from where it has been confirmed that the residents of Montanejos, Montán and Fuente la Reina, who remained more after a week away from their homes, they will be able to return gradually.
The Minister of the Interior, Justice and Public Administration, Gabriela Bravo, has indicated that if everything evolves favorably after 7:00 p.m., the fire will be considered controlled.
The residents had stayed mostly in the homes of relatives and friends, but also in the Segorbe seminary and in the Navajas campin, where they awaited the arrival of good news, which has finally occurred.
Bravo has indicated that the return of these neighbors will be staggered and has insisted that the Civil Guard will establish controls to allow access only to residents, since “work will continue throughout the weekend” and there are still “very dangerous” areas ”.
Balance: 4,700 calcined hectares
In these eight days, the fire has burned 4,700 hectares of high ecological value within a 50-kilometre perimeter in which no flame has been recorded in the last 24 hours, a period in which the evolution has been very favourable.
Bravo has indicated that at 11:00 a.m. they have considered the fire stabilized and has indicated that throughout the morning there have been “small incidents, controlled immediately.”
There are still, he indicated, “hot spots, although of lesser depth” and some 120 land means as well as air means that are carrying out surveillance tasks to avoid “any reactivation” are still working in the area.
This device will remain in place throughout the weekend, since the State Meteorological Agency has reported that the area will continue to be in a “quite critical” situation due to strong gusts of wind of up to 100 kilometers per hour, for which the Minister has insisted that “we must remain vigilant.”
About the causes of the fire
Regarding the investigation into the possible cause, which the Civil Guard is instructing, the minister has indicated that it focuses on some workers who did cleaning tasks in the municipality of Villanueva de Viver, since it is in that area where “the source of ignition is ”.
Bravo has stressed that when the investigation is over, it will be a judge who will determine if any type of responsibility has been incurred.
Regarding the early start this year of forest fires, the councilor has indicated that “the forests are full of (highly) combustible material, because if we are not talking about fuel we would not be talking about forests.”
He added that “a global policy is needed, not only prevention -which is essential- but also takes into account other elements such as the effects of depopulation”.
The Valencian forests, he said, “present that image because each year the Valencian Community incorporates 3,300 hectares” of cultivation area as forest land and that it is “private land” that “ends up forming part of those forests.”
Bravo: “The problem has not been the lack of cleanliness of the forest”
The problem is not “just the lack of cleanliness”, Gabriela Bravo has advocated for a “global reflection” to implement policies that integrate measures to deal with depopulation, improve prevention and deal with climate change -determinant in this fire -.
Regarding possible aid, Bravo has said that they will be managed as usual, “with the technical support of the Generalitat. We will set up the post-emergency table and the aid will be determined there.”
For his part, President Puig reiterated his gratitude for the “enormous work” and the “great responsibility” of the extinction directors and the security forces. He has also thanked the UME, Civil Guard, all the firefighters, Health and the Red Cross.
He commented that “very difficult times await us and we have to learn from each fire to prevent and act with determination as we have done here.”