A total of 12 villages have been evacuated following a fire in the Zamora town of Fermoselle, in the Arribes del Duero, which has been classified as level 2 out of a maximum of three. The flames started around one in the afternoon and spread very quickly due to strong winds, high temperatures, and the large amount of dry vegetation accumulated in the fields during this intense heat summer. The firefighters deployed were joined by the Military Emergency Unit (UME), which assisted in the evacuations of Cibanal, Formariz, Fornillos de Fermoselle, Palazuelo de Sayago, Pinilla de Fermoselle, Mámoles, Argañín, Badilla, Cozcurrita, Muga de Sayago, Tudera, and Zafara, as well as the confinement of Fermoselle itself and Fariza.
Other nearby communities were on alert in case they had to leave their homes, although it was not necessary. The residents of a nursing home also left to avoid respiratory risks in a region where several roads have been closed.
The fire showed sudden growth due to temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius recorded in that area of the Arribes del Duero, very close to Portugal and in the west of the province of Zamora, a territory very accustomed to severe fires in recent years, such as the two in the Sierra de la Culebra in June and July 2022. Firefighters have focused on protecting inhabited areas, where according to the local Zamoran media Enfoque Zamora, no serious damage to buildings or homes has been reported beyond some unusable sheds or a picnic area or plots near the towns.
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The several hundred evacuees have been accommodated in a municipal pavilion in Bermillo de Sayago. This Zamora region is characterized by depopulation, which leads to neglect of the territory and facilitates fires, although in summer weeks like these, the population multiplies thanks to people returning to the village after several months in the cities. The UME detachment from its base in León has made itself available to the operation and has facilitated the movement of residents, who have encountered difficulties on some secondary roads that have been closed both due to the risk from fire and smoke and to facilitate communication and transport of firefighting vehicles.
