"Very positive" progress in the extinction of the Villanueva de Viver fire after "allied" weather

Aemet warns of "very adverse" conditions this Sunday with a west wind, rising temperatures and reduced humidity

CASTELLÓN, 25 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The extinguishing tasks of the fire declared this Thursday in Villanueva de Viver (Castellón) are advancing "very positively" after the weather conditions this Saturday have been an "ally" for the troops deployed, "favored" by a load of humidity that has reached 70 percent at times and the easterly wind.

In this way, this day ends "the same" as it began, without an advance of the footprint of the fire, which affects around 4,000 hectares of surface in a perimeter of between 35 and 40 kilometers, while allowing the troops to work in the "more complex" points to "reduce the risk factor" in them.

This has been detailed by the regional secretary for Security and Emergencies of the Generalitat, José María Ángel, in statements to the media at the Advanced Command Post (PMA), located in the Castellón town of Barracas.

Ángel pointed out that, at the beginning of the day, the technicians from the Generalitat, the Castellón Provincial Fire Brigade Consortium and the Government of Aragon --meeting at the PMA-- have conveyed their "concern" about the evolution of the weather in the afternoon , in which "high temperatures" and a "complex and complicated wind" were expected that "would complicate the extinction tasks."

Specifically, a "great concern" had been transmitted for three points: "The north of the fire, bordering the province of Teruel; the head of the reservoir, and the CV-195 highway, which connects the towns of Montán and Montanejos", has detailed the regional secretary.

After the extinction work -in which about 700 troops participate-, Ángel pointed out that in the northern zone, bordering the province of Teruel, the fire presents a "very very positive" evolution. For its part, the reservoir area is a "very inaccessible place" in which work has been carried out this Saturday with the aerial means, which have carried out more than 200 "very selective and precise" water discharges to "reduce the image of the flame and, at the same time, throw retardant and water". Despite the advances, he has indicated that "there is still some concern" about the fire in this area.

Regarding the CV-195 highway, which connects the towns of Montán and Montanejos, --also "very inaccessible"-- the troops have managed to keep the perimeter of the fire "stabilized" during this past night and avoid "endangering the park of the Sierra de Espadán". Thus, so far the fire has not affected any natural area, although it has affected land in the Natura 2000 network.

At this point, Ángel has qualified that the figure of 4,000 hectares affected "does not mean" that all of them correspond to forest mass, since crops, fields and ravines have also been burned. "After the most precise analyses, the technicians will tell us what the affected forest mass is," she added.

Regarding the advance of the fire planned for this Sunday, a west wind is expected, which can reach gusts of 40 and 45 km/h, accompanied by a rise in temperatures and a reduction in humidity, which, in the words of the regional secretary , "it will suppose a very complex and complicated formula" for the works of extinction.

The Generalitat has decreed level 3 due to the forecast of high western temperatures, so it is prohibited to light any fire in landscapes and forests of the Valencian Community even if authorized in the Local Burning Plan.

Precisely, the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has indicated that the forecast is that the weather conditions this Sunday in the area of ​​the Villanueva de Viver fire will be "very adverse". In this sense, the wind is expected to turn northwest from the morning and intensify, with gusts of between 50 and 60 km/h. In addition, it will be "notably drier" than the southerly breeze that has been blowing this Saturday.

José María Ángel has asked citizens for "all precaution and prevention" when they approach the natural parks of the Community. "They are our heritage, they are what we Valencians have inherited in our collective memory and, therefore, we reiterate prudence", he insisted.

Asked specifically about the statements of the Government delegate in the Valencian Community, Pilar Bernabé, Ángel has assured that "he has nothing to add", and has affirmed that he can "assure that they have already begun to work on what is the analysis where started and what are the causes of the fire".

For his part, Bernabé has confirmed this Saturday that the "human factor" caused the fire in the Villanueva de Viver area and has reported that the Civil Guard has taken a statement from four people who were carrying out maintenance tasks in the area.