The acting Government delegate in Andalucía, Francisco Toscano, has pointed out that the situation of the forest fire in Niebla, in Huelva, “remains complicated,” although the night has been “a little more favorable” than the previous days from a meteorological point of view.
Toscano made these statements in an interview on Canal Sur Radio from the Advanced Command Post, where this Sunday the third vice president of the Government and minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Sara Aagesen, is participating in the monitoring committee.
A somewhat more favorable night
The Government representative explained that the nighttime improvement has allowed for the consolidation of part of the work done on Saturday, especially on the left and right flanks, in the greenhouse area and around the recycling plant in Villarrasa.
“The night has been a little more favorable from a meteorological point of view. This has allowed for some of the work done yesterday to be secured,” Toscano pointed out. In addition, the teams have been able to start executing defense lines at the head of the fire, one of the points that most concerns the operational managers.
The aerial resources focus on the head of the fire
The aerial resources have started to work during the morning and their task will focus on attacking the area at the head of the fire. The goal is to facilitate that the Military Emergency Unit, the UME, and the Infoca Plan can continue with the construction and reinforcement of the defense line.
This line is key to trying to halt the advance of the fire before conditions become complicated again during the central hours of the day. The strategy involves taking advantage of the more favorable meteorological windows and reinforcing the points that can act as a barrier against the flames.
The wind will complicate the day again
However, Toscano has warned that the forecast indicates that the wind will shift again, a circumstance that has been repeating since Thursday and complicates the stability of the perimeter.
As he explained, the wind is expected to come mainly from the west, although it may shift to southeast at times. During the central hours of the day, it could reach speeds of between 30 and 35 kilometers per hour. This is compounded by very low humidity, a combination that does not favor extinguishing efforts.
Monitoring the eastern flank and the Tinto River
The objective of the teams is to continue with the line of defense and especially monitor the eastern flank, which is already close to the Tinto River. Toscano has pointed out that the behavior of the fire in that area will need to be observed, although he has emphasized that, for the moment, the most important thing is that there are no threatened population centers.
In that sector, the risk is mainly concentrated in forested areas. Nevertheless, the behavior of the fire continues to be conditioned by the vegetation, the terrain, and changes in the wind, which requires maintaining a flexible strategy on the ground.
An area of high combustion and difficult access
The Government delegate has explained that the experience of these days with the wind has forced the teams to continuously adapt their strategy. To that difficulty are added two factors that complicate the work: the high combustion capacity of the area, due to the characteristics of the vegetation, and the presence of rocky areas with complicated access.
These conditions hinder both the movement of ground resources and the execution of defense lines in some points. The work of aerial resources is therefore especially important in areas where access by land is more limited.
The priority: protect human lives
Toscano has insisted that the absolute priority remains to protect human lives. For that reason, responding to the approach made on Saturday afternoon by the emergency management, 340 neighbors were evacuated.
“The priority is to save human lives, that is the first thing,” explained the representative of the central Executive. The preventive measure allowed for reducing the risk to the population while the teams worked in the most sensitive areas of the fire.
Aagesen and Sanz participate in the monitoring
The third vice president of the Government, Sara Aagesen, and the vice president of the Junta de Andalucía, Antonio Sanz, participated this Sunday in the monitoring of the fire from the Advanced Command Post.
The presence of officials from the central Government and the Junta reflects the dimension of an emergency that remains active and requires coordination between administrations, Infoca, UME, aerial resources, and teams deployed on the ground.
No population centers at risk
Although the situation remains complicated, Toscano has highlighted that there are currently no population centers at risk. That is the main relief on a day that will continue to be marked by the wind, low humidity, and the need to consolidate the work done during the night.
The Niebla fire thus enters a decisive phase: the teams are trying to take advantage of the overnight improvement to reinforce defenses before the weather conditions require maximum effort again during the day.