Forest fires in Galicia remain unchanged in the last hours, according to the latest information provided by the Consellería do Medio Rural with data collected until 1:30 p.m. this Saturday. However, the Xunta maintains the ‘Situation 2’ alert due to the proximity of the fire to the towns of Boiro (A Coruña) and Ponte Caldelas (Pontevedra).
In Boirothe fire has already burned 1,200 hectares and has forced the eviction of some 700 people in Ribeira. Most of them were staying at a camping site in the municipality, so at the moment, as Mayor Manuel Ruiz has told Europa Press, some 300 people are sheltered in sports centers of the city council. In addition, he has confirmed that eight ‘roulottes’ have burned and that he hopes that the guests of the campsite can go to collect their belongings this afternoon.
Also in A Pobra do Caramiñal fire has surrounded several hotel establishments in the nucleus of Entrerríos, among them some cabins and a rural house. According to the mayor of A Pobra, Xosé Lois Piñeiro, in statements to Europa Press, 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 has detailed.
Thus, the Xunta maintains ‘Situation 2’ activated as a preventive measure due to the proximity of the fire to the Piñeiro nucleus, in Boiro. Four technicians, 47 agents, 87 brigades, 45 motorized pumps, four shovels, 13 planes and 12 helicopters, in addition to the Military Emergency Unit, work on the fire.
150 hectares in Ponte Caldelas
In the province of Pontevedra, the fire declared this Friday in Ponte Caldelas, which has burned some 150 hectares and for which the ‘Situation 2’ alert has been declared due to the proximity of the flames to the core of A Canicouvain the municipality of Pontevedra.
The Councilor for Security and Citizen Protection of Pontevedra, Eva Vilaverde, has lamented “sadly” that the fire is in the forest park of A Fracha. The concern, he pointed out, is in the areas of O Vilar and A Canicouva.
He has also assured that this is “the harsh reality of forest fires” and has pointed out that the mountain is “a real powder keg”. “We have to heal the wound, but it is not enough. We have to heal the origin of the wound and we have a forest affected by eucalyptus monoculture and by a lack of management and absolute production,” he criticized.
Five technicians, 12 agents, 33 brigades, 26 motorized pumps, four shovels, eight planes and eight helicopters are working on this fire, which started at 7:52 p.m. this Friday in the parish of Xustáns, in Ponte Caldelas.
Other fires in Pontevedra
In addition, the fire declared in the Saiar Parishin the municipality of Caldas de Reis, and that also affects Vilagarcía de Arousa, remains without advancing, with 450 hectares burned, according to the latest estimates. The regional administration has ensured that “evolves favorably.”
In Arbo, the fires declared this week remain under control. Specific, the Xunta has considered controlled that of the Mourentán parish at 11:00 p.m., with an affected area of 400 hectares. Meanwhile, the one from Barcela, which entered from Portugal, has burned some 82 hectares.
Verin: 600 hectares
Likewise, the area affected by the fire declared in Verín last Wednesday remains at 600 hectares and the Xunta has indicated that “it is evolving favorably towards its stabilization” and “no risk to population centers”.
Also in the province of Ourense, in A Mezquita, the forest fire declared in the parish of O Pereiro continues to be controlled. According to the latest estimates, it has burned about 150 hectares.
This Friday the Ministry considered extinguished the fires of Maceda (Ourense) –120.55 hectares burned– and Ponteareas (Pontevedra) –15.6 hectares burned–.
In total, the forest fires of this last week in Galicia have already burned more than 3,000 hectares.