The Villanueva de Viver fire already affects 4,300 hectares in a 50-kilometre perimeter

The fire, of "great voracity", threatens two "critical points": the area between Montán and Fuente la Reina, and between Montán and Montanejos

CASTELLÓN, 27 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The fire declared this Thursday in Villanueva de Viver (Castellón) already affects a total of 4,300 hectares of surface in a perimeter of 50 kilometers, after the flames advanced with "great voracity" and "virulence" on Monday afternoon ".

In this way, a change in the direction of the wind -- which has entered from the southeast -- from 7:00 p.m. has forced the firefighting work to be focused on two "critical points": the area between Montán and Fuente la Reina , and the area between Montán and Montanejos, where this noon the fire "has made the leap" to the CV-195.

This was detailed by the Minister of Justice, Interior and Public Administration, Gabriela Bravo, in statements to the media after the coordination meeting at the Advanced Command Post (PMA), located in the Castellón town of Barracas.

Bravo has highlighted that, after the change in the direction of the winds, the fire "no longer directly threatens" to enter the Sierra de Espadán natural park, where a large part of the troops have concentrated during the day on Monday. "The flames have not reached the natural park and, at this time, that area that was at greater risk first thing in the morning is calmer," he insisted.

However, he has assured that the extinction work "will not neglect" this area because "at any moment the winds can activate those hot spots again." "Therefore, there will be media monitoring and refreshing that area right now," she stated, while remarking that the proximity of the fire to the natural park is not "right now" the "main threat."

In addition, he stressed that the area of ​​the Fuente de los Baños de Montanejos is "much more controlled right now", and the media are "working, cooling and sealing to prevent the advance" of the flames.

On the other hand, the councilor has pointed out that the deconfinement of Caudiel has been ordered, after verifying that "at this moment there is no smoke" in the town.

Faced with the possibility that the evicted residents could return to their homes, he has asserted that "at this time" they are not considering their return home. "We know the effort, the pain and the sacrifice they are making, but they have our full support and solidarity," she said.

"We are making these decisions to guarantee, above all, the safety of all the residents. With this scenario, we still cannot foresee the return of the people who have been evicted," he declared.

In this context, this afternoon the municipalities of Higueras, Pavías and Torralba del Pinar were evacuated, on a preventive basis, in less than an hour -- some 80 people, most of whom have gone with relatives-- , who have joined the 1,500 people evicted in Los Calpes, Fuente la Reina, Los Cantos-La Monzona, Puebla de Arenoso, Montanejos, Arañuel, Montán and Villanueva de Viver.

During the night, air resources will be withdrawn and ground resources --"fully deployed"-- will be dedicated "fundamentally" to "refreshing" the area. "They will refresh all the hot spots that the UME drones detect and, at the same time, they will also work on the containment line that has been formed to prevent the fire from advancing towards Fuente la Reina," he explained.

According to the forecasts of the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), the weather conditions tonight "will not be as adverse" as those of this Monday and Sunday. A light wind is expected with a regime of mountain and valley breezes, as well as a humidity that will reach 60%.

"The problem is that tomorrow we will continue to have winds from the west, especially during the first part of the morning, which will reach a maximum speed of 30 km/h," Bravo pointed out. In the early hours of this Tuesday, a total of 22 aerial means and 500 ground troops will participate in the extinction work.

Likewise, he has said that steps have been taken with the hydroelectric company to "go recovering all the electrical fluid."