The Andalusian Forest Fire Extinguishing Service, the Plan Infoca continues to work on extinguishing the Sierra Bermeja fire, active since last Wednesday and affecting several Malaga municipalities. For this, it has, among others, the support of the media from the Ministry of Transition and the Provincial Consortium of Firefighters of Malaga (CPB), being already 41 mobilized air resources and about 420 ground troops.
Specifically, in addition to the deployment of Infoca, they provide service six seaplanes, four kamov helicopters and two BRIF with 43 personnel from the Ministry, and 21 troops, six fire trucks and a CPB Command unit in the area of Peñas Blancas, Genalguacil and scattered from Estepona.
Behind the ash cloud dissipation (pyrocumulus) during the early morning, the works are now focused on the northern area of the fire, which is already confined with some 5,000 hectares affected.
On the works that are being carried out this Saturday, the Director of the Infoca Regional Operational Center, Juan Sánchez, who has influenced the meteorological conditions, characterized by “a weaker wind, constant direction, and also, humidity comes in from the sea. “
Sánchez, who has appeared together with the president of the Board, Juanma Moreno, at the advanced command post, located in Estepona, has said that the pavesas that have been falling in that area have changed and now there are maritime winds and “also, very weak”. He has detailed that the work in the ravine area is “continuous, concise and surgical.”
He has also spoken of the pyrocumulus -ashes cloud- that during the past two days They have taken place, and “today, a while ago, there was an important column” of fire. He also said that now what is planned “is a continuous and very slow work for fix the entire perimeter and that this afternoon when the situation gets worse, that will be put, the pyroescapes that we can have are the minimum possible and the fire stabilizes in its greater measure “.
“If the weather forecasts are fulfilled, we are on the right track“, he said, although he made it clear that It is not possible to speak of “favorable evolution, nor that this fire is going to end now”. “You have to go site to site, point to point, walking.”
In terms of means, he has valued that they have had all those that have been needed, highlighting that “in the national panorama of forest firefighters there have been calls from all communities, practically, offering what we no longer needed “.” Not because we had more means we could use them; when there are more means than necessary we get in the way “, has explained.
In the same way, it has had words for citizens who have had to be confined and has grateful for “how they have understood the problem”, also for the water and food and for the support and condolences they have received.
“Unfortunately what we are thinking right now is putting out the fire, we can’t think of anything else, “he said, adding that”as soon as we do, we will think of our partner “.
On the other hand, it should be remembered that the pinsapar is not affected at this time and the Infoca media are conducting specific works to protect this natural area of our province.
In this regard, he said that with the help given, “the pinsapar, except for something extraordinarily rare, we will continue to know it, almost as we knew it“, he pointed out, appreciating that”perimeter firewalls have worked; Some Spanish fir on the edge may have been lost, some pine, but we have the bulk of the Spanish fir there and we are finishing the finishing work to prevent anything from happening. “
Asked if it was a priority to step on foot, he indicated that “we work with different priorities and all in parallel”, being the first the defense of life and property; the second defense of vulnerable elements of high ecological and patrimonial value, as is this, and, of course, “watching the evolution of the fire.”
“You have to understand that sometimes It cannot happen to us that to save a house we burn three villages, and I think people understand more and more that we can’t have a firefighter at every door, “so “elements of high value in this ecological case has been a priority objective“but” above all, the priority objective is for the fire to be the less big the better “, emphasizing not forgetting to see the fire as a whole.
The latest update of the Emergency 112 system in Andalusia regarding the consequences of the Sierra Bermeja fire, which affects the Malaga municipalities of Jubrique, Genalguacil, Estepona and Benahavís; reflects that the number of people evicted in prevention of different nuclei of Estepona and Benahavís rises 1,054, after evicting this morning in a preventive way 40 people over eleven homes in the area of Los Quiñones, south of Cuesta de Ronda in Estepona.
Most of the evacuees are concentrated in Estepona, up to 790, and correspond to the urbanizations of Forest Hill and Abejeras, 37 in the area of scattered homes of Peñas Blancas on the MA-8301 highway, 12 from Charca de la Extranjera, 60 from Huerta Padrón, 65 from Río Velerín and 40 from Cuesta de Ronda; Meanwhile in Benahavís has evacuated 80 people from the upper area of the Montemayor urbanization.
JanStepona has been enabled the Pabellón del Carmen to care for victims and the Red Cross was deployed, which will provide 50 beds, 100 toilet kits and 100 anticovid kits.
A twenty evacuees have made use of this facility tonight since some people preferred to return to their first homes, the homes of family and friends, or to stay in their vehicles in a safe area. In Benahavís the assembly hall of the consistory has been arranged for people who need it.
On the other hand, in relation to the communication channels, they have specified from the Emergency 112 Andalusia system that the MA-8301 and MA-8302 highways are still closed; although the cut-off points have slightly varied. The MA-8302 remains interrupted at kilometer 15 and the MA-8301 is cut from kilometer 3.5 to kilometer 32, in both directions.
The fire originated at 9:37 p.m. on Wednesday night, when 112 received the first of some 140 calls that alerted of a fire in Sierra Bermeja.