The first major fire of the year caused by the drought ravaged Spain for two days. Also on this Saturday, March 25th, the fire brigade is fighting the flames. Villages were evacuated.
A major forest fire has broken out in eastern Spain, destroying more than 4,000 hectares and leading to the evacuation of 1,500 people, authorities said. More than 500 firefighters, planes and helicopters were mobilized Thursday and Friday to extinguish the fire near the village of Villanueva de Viver, in the Valencia region.
Firefighters believe they have the blaze under control, but strong winds and “almost summer-like temperatures” could reignite it, said Gabriela Bravo, Valencia Region’s internal affairs officer. According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), forest fires destroyed 307,000 hectares in Spain last year.
Villagers evacuated
The forest fire led to the evacuation of 1,700 villagers in the regions of Valencia and Aragon. Residents said they had to flee their homes, leaving their animals behind. “Sad, how else can I feel? Our city is on fire, our life is on fire, our animals were there and nobody can tell us anything,” said Antonio Zarzoso, 24, who had to leave the village of Puebla de Arenoso.
More than 500 firefighters, supported by planes and helicopters, worked to bring the blaze under control near the village of Villanueva de Viver, emergency services said on Saturday, urging 1,500 people from their homes. The fire also spread to the Teruel area in the Aragon region, where 200 people had to be evacuated, authorities said on Saturday. However, the fire brigade was able to prevent the fire from spreading to other areas.
Pictures
El 43 Grupo estuvo trabajando ayer en la Extinction de un incendio en Villanueva de Viver (Castellón) \ud83d\udd25\ud83c\udf33\ud83d\udd25
Para ello se emplearon dos aviones que realizaron 12 descargas y un total de 8 horas de vuelo \u2708\ufe0f \ud83d\udca6\ud83d\udd25 pic.twitter.com/u9ChlU2SBX
— Ejercito del Aire y del Espacio (@EjercitoAire) March 24, 2023
Spain’s first major fire of 2023 in the Valencia region lasted through Friday night, destroying more than 3,000 hectares of forest and forcing 1,500 residents from their homes, authorities said. pic.twitter.com/romz5ZOlqh
— TRT French (@trtfrancais) March 25, 2023