In the next few hours, the fire that for more than a week has burned more than 4,700 hectares in Castellón and Teruel in a perimeter of 55 square kilometers could be stabilized. The Autonomous Secretary for Security and Emergencies of the Generalitat Valenciana, José María Angel, has indicated that work is now almost normal, cooling the few remaining hot areas and that there is optimism that the best news can be delivered tomorrow.
In parallel, residents of other towns that had been evicted have also started to return; It is about 115 residents of Torralba del Pinar, Arañuel and its district Artejuela. Despite this, there are still more than 1,200 citizens who have not yet been able to return to their homes. After the last meeting of the Advanced Command Post, located in Barracas, it has been agreed that from 2:00 p.m. these residents who had been evicted due to the fire could return to their homes.
It has also been agreed that the people who yesterday were able to return to their homes in Higueras, Pavías, Villanueva de Viver and Puebla de Arenoso and their districts of Los Cantos and La Monzona, can “normalize their lives” and are allowed to circulate within the population. They will also be able to open the bars and will have “some mobility”.
Regarding the evolution of the fire, the minister has indicated that “it is being very favourable, as in the last 24 hours”, and has explained that throughout the night, the drones of the Military Emergency Unit (UME), they have worked to detect the hot spots and “in this way, to be able to plan the entire strategy that has been carried out throughout the morning”.
Bravo has indicated that most of the resources have been concentrated in the hot spots of the three sensitive areas that still continue: the one located next to the Fuente de los Baños, the one where the fire broke out near Montán and another next to Fountain the Queen. Therefore, that is where the land and air resources have worked throughout the morning, he has indicated, to “refresh and consolidate the entire area.”
The forecast for the afternoon is to continue with the same strategy, said Bravo, who added that the west winds are not as strong as expected, but that “they are reaching 20 or 30 kilometers per hour – very few times they have reached at 40- which is also greatly favoring works and avoiding a greater number of reproductions”.
He has also indicated that now “we are entering the critical hour, between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., with high temperatures, lower relative humidity and with this wind.” Therefore, the resources will continue to be concentrated in these three most sensitive areas, the minister assured.
Depending on the evolution of the morning and afternoon, new decisions will be adopted and “if everything evolves favorably, it will be better news, although always prudently”, he concluded.
