The forest fire that broke out last Tuesday in the area around the town of Jarilla in Cáceres has already destroyed more than 11,000 hectares and a perimeter of 130 kilometers, making it one of the largest fires recorded in the region in recent years.
This was stated by the Minister of the Presidency and Interior of the Regional Government of Extremadura, Abel Bautista, following the meeting held by the CECOPI at the Advanced Command Post, located in the municipality of La Granja. According to Bautista, the situation remains"very complicated."
"The rest of the fires are stabilized. And with respect to the Jarilla fire, the southern flank is showing a favorable evolution, but the northern flank is out of control," said the president of Extremadura, María Guardiola, this Sunday after the morning meeting of the CECOPI.
By the afternoon, the southern flank remained in the consolidation phase, although with wind-induced surges, which has forced the retention of UME troops in the area, Efe reported.
Meanwhile, the northern flank continues to"run wild" and is advancing towards new towns, which could force the imposition of confinement measures in the coming hours, especially in the town of La Garganta.
Among the latest measures adopted, Bautista has confirmed the voluntary evacuation of the Hervás high-performance center, where minors were located, and the evacuation of some 80 homes scattered throughout the same town.
The councillor has acknowledged the added difficulties caused by the appearance of new outbreaks in the region and has criticised the lack of sufficient resources to deal with a fire of this size.
The Regional Government had requested a large deployment of resources from the Spanish government and the European Civil Protection Mechanism - including 50 heavy fire engines, 200 forest firefighters, 10 aircraft and heavy machinery - but so far only 20 patrol cars from the 11th Extremadura Brigade, four or five heavy machinery and a helicopter from Slovakia, which is due to arrive on Monday, have been confirmed. In addition, Germany has offered resources that are being evaluated by Infoex technicians.
Bautista has stressed that this is not a management problem but rather a lack of resources, and has rejected the request of some political groups to declare a level 3 emergency."What would be the point of a level 3 if the Spanish Government has already stated that it does not have more resources to send?" he pointed out.
The councilor defended the need to put aside the"political battle" and focus on the "battle of fire," and called for institutional unity and collaboration.
There are currently four active fires in Extremadura, which have burned 25,000 hectares, with a total perimeter of 310 kilometers. The only one showing an unfavorable evolution is the Jarilla fire. The Aliseda and Membrío fires in the province of Cáceres, and the Alburquerque fire in Badajoz, are developing favorably, according to the latest update released by the Ministry of Forestry Management and Rural World in a message published on its social networks and reported by Europa Press.
Evictions
"At the moment we are defending ourselves from a large fire, we cannot attack it," said the Minister of the Presidency and the Interior, Abel Bautista, late on Saturday, regarding the largest fire in Extremadura, the one in Jarilla (Cáceres), which was completely"out of control" and which has led to the preventive evacuation of residents of Rebollar late on Saturday, who have been moved to the municipal sports pavilion in Plasencia. Around 250 inhabitants who were in this town in the Jerte Valley have been moved by road in buses with the help of the Civil Guard.
Bautista explained that the decision was made urgently, without even time to convene a new CECOPI meeting, due to"an exceptional, instantaneous, unforeseen change in wind direction." In fact, he insisted that the fire is"totally out of control" and warned that "until the weather conditions change, we won't be able to give good news." He emphasized that "there isn't even enough capacity to extinguish 70 percent of the fire."
Similarly, and as a precaution, guests of the Balneario del Valle del Jerte have been asked to voluntarily leave the facilities; those who do not wish to do so should have a suitcase ready"in case they have to leave during the night."
Regarding the town of Segura de Toro, which remains under lockdown, Bautista has indicated that vulnerable people will be evacuated, also issuing a voluntary warning that those who wish to do so throughout the night should do so with sufficient peace of mind. However, those who decide to remain in their homes should have their suitcases ready in case a total evacuation is ordered.
Regarding the fire affecting Casar de Cáceres, residents of the El Prado development have been allowed to return to their homes, but those in Viñas de la Mata will remain evacuated.
ALISEDA
Another fire causing concern is the one affecting the Aliseda area (Cáceres), with an estimated affected area of 1,531 hectares. Due to this unfavorable development, Bautista lamented that residents of the Cuartos del Baño residential area had to be evacuated again, after returning to their homes on Saturday afternoon.
ROADS CLOSED
Regarding road closures, the Civil Guard has reported that traffic is currently restricted on the CC-218 (from the N-630 to Aldeanueva del Camino via Casas del Monte and Segura de Toro); on the CC-224 from Hervás (EX-205) to the N-110 (to Cabezuela del Valle) (Honduras Port Road); and on the CC-321 from Arroyo de la Luz (km 16.600) to km 2, the intersection with the N-630 (El Gallo Restaurant).
