The forest fire declared this Friday in Herrera del Duque, in Badajoz, has forced the preventive evacuation of 57 people from a bottling plant close to the flames. The fire has activated level 1 of danger due to the possible impact on isolated homes.
The fire in Herrera del Duque forces the evacuation of 57 people
The fire in Herrera del Duque has caused the preventive evacuation of 48 workers and nine transporters from the Nestlé Aquarel bottling plant, located near the area affected by the fire.
The 57 people left the facilities in their own vehicles, escorted by Civil Guard agents. The convoy traveled along a forest track until it linked up with the road leading to Villarta de los Montes, where the evacuees arrived without incidents, according to information provided by 112 Extremadura.
Level 1 due to the risk for isolated homes
The Forest Fire Fighting Plan of Extremadura, Infoex, has declared level 1 of danger due to the proximity of the flames to isolated homes in the municipality.
The evacuation of the bottling plant was adopted as a preventive measure due to the evolution of the fire and the south component wind, which favored the advance of the fire towards mountainous areas. So far, no personal injuries have been reported.
Seventeen aerial resources are working on the extinction
The operation has been expanded during the afternoon to reach 17 aerial resources: nine planes and eight helicopters. On the ground, eight units of forest firefighters, six helitransported units, and three heavy machinery teams are working.
The operation is coordinated by three agents from the Natural Environment and three extinction technicians. Resources from Infoex, the Infocam of Castilla-La Mancha, the Ministry for Ecological Transition, and the Diputación de Badajoz are participating, with the support of the Civil Guard and Red Cross.
No balance of hectares or data on the origin
The fire remains active near the Cíjara Regional Reserve, while the teams concentrate their efforts on preventing the flames from reaching new forest areas, homes, or infrastructures.
The authorities have not yet provided an estimate of the burned area nor have they informed about the possible origin of the fire. It is also not recorded, for now, that the fire has been stabilized.