The Niebla (Huelva) fire defies logic as its flames leap against the wind direction, having already devastated 28,000 hectares in six days since it started last Thursday. “There are very striking aspects to this fire: the leaps are very spectacular and occur with wind against them, over a very large area, it is a frankly complex fire (…) Given the intensity of the leaps, the work tonight has been more defensive than offensive,” said the Andalusian Minister of Health, Presidency and Emergencies, Antonio Sanz, from the command post this Wednesday. A total of 681 people remain evacuated as a precaution.
The night has been “frankly complex,” marked by those fire leaps, the opposing wind, and thermal inversion, according to Sanz. And the 700 firefighters and other personnel deployed to the forest to stop the flames managed last night to “progressively slow down” the fire’s advance. “The day before yesterday we managed to reduce its growth by 50% compared to the previous day, and yesterday another 50% extra. That is, yesterday it grew by 25% compared to two days before. Today’s goal remains to close doors to the fire and reduce its energy. It is a terrible and high-intensity fire due to the anomalous behaviors of the fire and its large leaps. Now the teams will attack with the wind against them and with the wind in their favor, defending. The great work of the night has had important results,” praised Sanz.
Due to the continuous shifts in the wind and thermal inversions, Wednesday is expected to be very complicated. The most active fronts are in the northeast sector — with Berrocal, the town where a 35,000-hectare fire started in 2004, completely isolated again by the flames — and the east sector, between the La Pata del Caballo area and Escacena del Campo, where efforts are made to prevent the fire from crossing the road that connects El Álamo with Aznalcóllar. “The southern flank shows a much more favorable and stable behavior,” the minister specified.
The fire keeps 11 roads closed to traffic and, in addition to the 700 personnel, 257 material resources have joined the operation against the fire with new bulldozers and heavy machinery, as well as the solidarity help of chef José Andrés through World Central Kitchen. “It is a long-distance race full of obstacles, but there is no risk of new evacuations for now and we are closing doors to further expansion. The battle against the fire will eventually be won,” summarized Sanz, somewhat more positive in the day’s assessment.
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To the presence of convective phenomena and embers [dangerous incandescent particles that spread fires] and the thermal inversion that has prevented more planes and helicopters from joining, this afternoon will add the exceptional circumstance of the eclipse, which will cause the aerial fleet to be withdrawn at 19:30, as ordered by the State Aviation Safety Agency for all of Spain, as an aeronautical safety measure.
“During the night there was a small incursion into the province of Seville, in the Aznalcóllar area, but far from the town, so I send a message of calm. In recent hours another battalion of the UME has joined in Morón, as well as the Army bulldozers in the rear area,” recalled the Government delegate in Andalusia, Francisco Toscano. Yesterday the Civil Guard reported two residents who avoided the protocols set by the Security Forces for the evacuation of population centers, so they may be fined up to 600 euros, Toscano recalled.
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