The second great wave of fires suffered by Galicia so far this summer -for the time being, fortunately, much smaller than the previous one, which swept over more than 32,000 hectares- maintains four points of concern at the start of this Saturday, what do you add? more than 2,000 hectares devoured. More than half, in the Barbanza region of A Coruña: from Boiro the flames have jumped to Ribeira and A Pobra do Caramiñal. Friday night was especially hard, but Saturday dawned somewhat better, at least in the first two municipalities.
With information updated by the Consellería do Medio Rural, the one that has devoured the largest area of all the active fires in Galicia is the one that started in the parish of Cures, in Boiro, and that has devastated about 1,200 hectares. They were 1,000 ha at the edge of 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. and 400 ha at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, which indicates that it is far from being controlled. Situation 2 continues to be activated as a preventive measure due to the proximity of the flames to the Piñeiro nucleus.
José Ramón Romero, mayor of Boiro, explained in conversation with ABC that, “as far as possible”, in the municipality they are “calmer”, since on Friday night the advance of the flames could be contained , which did not force the eviction of neighbors. Of course, he admits that they have lived, between Thursday and Friday, «two crazy days», and that on the second day the flames were thrown «on top of the houses» and «we were truly at risk», in the surroundings of the aforementioned Piñeiro nucleus.
Weather conditions, far from helping the firefighting services, hinder their work. This is what has been happening all summer in Galicia. They are “propitious” so that “very voracious” fires “spread at a very high speed”, confirms the mayor of Boiro. In this case, in Barbanza, the worst enemy is a «northeast wind» installed for days.
In Ribeira, 700 evicted
The advance of the fire, however, does not stop, and spreads through the Barbanza region. In just a matter of 100 metres, you leave the Boiro terminus and enter A Pobra do Caramiñal. At the edge of 4:00 p.m. on Friday, the passage from one town hall to another took place. In A Pobra, the Boirense councilor comments, have been evicted several population centers and a rural tourism house in the Entrerríos area; The same has happened in a campsite, Ría de Arosa 2, in another nearby municipality, Ribeira. Another problem of magnitude that is sighted is the possible affectation to the Barbanza regional hospital, not only due to the flames, but also due to the smoke.
Most of the 700 evicted in Ribeira, on Friday night, were staying at the aforementioned campsite, as confirmed to ABC by the mayor of the town, Manuel Ruiz Rivas. A nearby group of houses, Balteiro, was also evacuated. About 300 people are welcomed in sports centers of the city council: in A Fieiteira and in Palmeira. The rest, about 400, chose to leave.
With the collaboration of the Red Cross, which has provided the necessary material for them to spend the night, the council gave them dinner and this morning they distributed breakfast. There has been no personal injury, but material damage. In the northern part of the campsite, explains the alderman, eight motorhomes burnedin addition to the damage suffered in the facilities.
The mayor explains that “things looked pretty bad” on Friday but then it was “improving the situation, especially after 2 or 3 in the morning, leaving the immediate risk that it could reach any home already further away. At the stroke of 12:00, he comments that aerial and ground media, with the support of the UME, attend to various outbreaks.
Regarding the regional hospital, although he admits that “always” is a cause for concern, “the concern was also clarifying throughout the night.” The fire-fighting devices, it affects, achieved based on firewalls and other measures that the fire did not cross the critical line and access the tree mass, at which time “it would be unpredictable.”
The councilor of Ribeira highlights the involvement of the fire services, the security forces and bodies, and the emergency personnel: “We met wrapped up in how difficult it is to be able to act under these circumstances against a forest fire. And he ponders that “perhaps” now the concern is transferred to his neighbors in A Pobra do Caramiñal, due to possible damage to an industrial estate and a warehouse by the northeast wind.
Here, in A Pobra, the fire surrounded several hotel establishments in the center of Entrerríos, including cabins and a rural house, on Friday night. As the mayor, Xosé Lois Piñeiro, has transferred to Ep, 13 people have had to be evicted. “The guests of the cabins have gone to a hotel and those of the rural house are in the sports center of A Tomada”, he explained.
The mayor of this municipality in A Coruña has acknowledged that he expects “a long day”, since “the front is very long”. They are still pending because «the fronts can advance at any time and there are areas of special risk ».
Caldas improves, Ponte Caldelas worsens
the of Verin, in the province of Orensewith more than 10 different outbreaks lit by an arsonist last Wednesday, remains with 600 hectares burned and a favorable evolution.
In Pontevedra, two active fires. the of Saiar, in Caldas de Reisadds up to 450 hectares but evolves favorably and situation 2 is already deactivated. Instead, this has had to be implemented in the Xustáns, in Ponte Caldelas, which from about 20 ha at the end of Friday afternoon has gone to 150; here the flames are close to the core of A Canicouva. This fire was the last to start, at 7:35 p.m. on Friday.
Otherwise, are already controlled the O Pereiro fires, in A Mezquita (Orense), with 150 ha burned; and the two from Arbo: the one from Mourentán, which changed to this status at 11:00 pm on Friday, after losing 400 ha; and that of Barcela, who took 82 ahead after entering from Portugal.