Officials lift evacuation orders as Spain wildfire stabilised
By Team Newsable | First Published Aug 22, 2022, 9:44 AM ISTAnother major wildfire which broke out last Saturday some 200 kilometres (125 miles) further south in the Vall de Ebo was brought under control on Sunday, Puig said. It has ravaged some 12,000 hectares of woods, bushes and farmland.
Firefighters on Sunday managed to stabilise a wildfire that has ravaged vast swathes of land in eastern Spain, allowing officials to lift all remaining evacuation orders. The blaze, which started on Monday near Bejis in the eastern Valencia region, has destroyed over 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of land and made around 2,200 people evacuate from the area.
Speaking to reporters, regional interior minister Gabriela Bravo on Sunday said that reconnaissance flights showed it "no longer had any active fronts"¨and can be considered "stabilised".
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Firefighters said reduced winds, cooler overnight temperatures and higher humidity levels had allowed them to contain the blaze. However, Bravo cautioned that temperatures were still forecast to be high on Monday, with strong winds that could rekindle the blaze.
On Sunday, Valencia regional president Ximo Puig said all remaining evacuees could return to their homes. "Now is the time to return to normality, with caution," he said.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, local officials had already lifted evacuation orders in two villages, Bejis and Toras, because the threat from the flames had diminished. About 20 aircraft were deployed to battle the blaze on Sunday, compared to 42 the day before.
Another major wildfire which broke out last Saturday some 200 kilometres (125 miles) further south in the Vall de Ebo was brought under control on Sunday, Puig said. It has ravaged some 12,000 hectares of woods, bushes and farmland.
In a statement, the premier's office said that PM Pedro Sanchez will visit fire damaged areas with Puig.
The blazes are among the almost 400 to have broken out in Spain so far this year amid a series of punishing heatwaves and long dry spells that have devastated more than 283,000 hectares of land, more than three times the total area destroyed in 2021.
Areas of neighbouring Portugal have likewise suffered devastation.
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