With situation 2 of the Special Forest Fire Plan activated in Tírig (Castellón) and Niebla (Huelva), which means that the evolution of the fire can seriously affect forest assets and slightly affect the population with the requirement of extraordinary means, the firefighting teams focus on fighting the flames, while the wind threatens to complicate the work in both territories. A total of 24 aerial means, 275 personnel, and 94 vehicles are working on the forest fire in Andalusia, which already affects 4,000 hectares and has evacuated 70 people. The Andalusian Plan Infoca device has reinforced the operation with four more aircraft, including helicopters, ground cargo planes, and amphibious aircraft capable of loading up to 6,000 liters of water without the need to land.
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On the ground, 215 firefighters from Plan Infoca and 60 military personnel from the Military Emergency Unit (UME) intervene, supported by 94 vehicles. Seven bulldozers have also joined to create firebreaks, in addition to firefighters from the Provincial Consortium of Huelva and personnel from other agencies, including firefighters from Extremadura. According to the first vice president of the Junta de Andalucía and Minister of Presidency, Health, and Emergencies, Antonio Sanz, the flames remain uncontrolled after a “very complex” night, and the forecasts for this Saturday are not positive due to constant wind changes, “which destroys the attack strategy.”
During the night, new fronts have opened, and the ground personnel have not been able to control the flames after facing initial wind gusts of 40-50 kilometers per hour, while at dawn the wind changed from southwest to south, and according to the minister, the forecast is for new changes this afternoon. Regarding the affected area, Sanz specified that it consists of eucalyptus, pines, and dehesa, although not everything within the fire perimeter has been affected.
“This fire has a behavior of constant wind change, which destroys the attack strategy you have on the fire, and it also opens the perimeter because as the wind changes, it opens new fronts,” Sanz explained from the Advanced Command Post. Today’s work focuses on confining the northern flank and the head of the fire, to the northeast, using heavy machinery, ground means, and widening burns. The device will advance southeast along the El Manzanito to El Guijo track, with aerial support to control possible secondary foci.
The second objective is to continue this work and enclose the fire to the south against the A-493. The third is to establish a control line on the firebreak located north of the recycling plant to limit its advance between the A-493 and HU-3106 roads. Two roads remain closed: the HU-3106 road, between Niebla and Valverde del Camino, and the A-493. “The wind and weather conditions will not help us at all,” emphasized the minister. There are no serious health attentions associated with the fire.
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The emergency phase remains activated, operational situation 2, due to the continuous wind changes that are hindering firefighting efforts, as in Castellón, with the Advanced Command Post already established in the municipality of Tírig, where firefighting teams have been working since this Friday. The next few hours will be vital to work with aerial means. This was explained by the Government delegate in the Valencian Community, Pilar Bernabé, when conveying the information communicated to the authorities by the firefighting director.
The province of Castellón recorded an electrical storm this Friday from 7:00 p.m., which caused more than 100 lightning strikes, causing four fires. The Salzadella fire was controlled in a few hours, and the Culla fire was declared controlled this morning, but the Serra d’en Galceran fire, which has moved to situation 1 due to its favorable evolution, and the Tírig fire, where efforts are now focused, remain active. Wind gusts that could complicate the situation are expected this afternoon, “so all the work that can be done now is vital,” Bernabé said, while sending “encouragement to all personnel” and asking for “great caution.”
In addition to the Generalitat’s means, the Provincial Firefighters Consortium of Castellón and the UME, the Reinforcement Brigades for Forest Fires of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge have also been mobilized. This department has deployed 12 state means and units this Saturday to reinforce the autonomous communities in firefighting efforts.
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