After almost a week of uninterrupted work, the fire that broke out in the area around Pico del Lobo remains active and has forced the emergency to be raised to 2 levelThe Board has ordered the preventive evacuation of the small nuclei of Peñalba de la Sierra and Cabida, while the balance of affected surface is around 1.300 hectares.
The extinguishing efforts are faced with a combination of extreme slopes and peat which complicates access and complete extinction. The evolution of the fire is highly conditioned by sudden changes in wind direction, which has led to the use of technical firepower and the reinforcement of coordination between administrations.
Level 2, evacuations and protective measures
The Coordination Center (CECOP) has activated civil protection protocols for the impact on non-forestry assets and the intensity of the smoke, sending messages Es-Alert to the nearby population. The participation of the EMU for support and safety tasks during fire-fighting maneuvers.
Preventive departures have been carried out without direct risk to urban areas, with the aim of facilitating technical burns to enclose and protect the core areas. Authorities insist that the priority is the safety of the people and those involved in the operation.
They remain cut off GU-187 (km 4,5) and access to the Port of La Quesera, and the public is asked not to approach the area to avoid interfering with the work. The recommendation is to follow only official channels and the instructions of the security forces.
In parallel, the device is in contact with three ranchers of the environment to locate herds and minimize risks. The instructions from the fire department are clear: protect people and livestock above any other consideration.
Operational, difficulties and controversy in management
Fire fighting is eminently aerial due to the high mountain orography: during the day the intervention of around about twenty aircraft, with the support of MITECO and resources from the Community of Madrid and Castile and León.
At specific times they have joined seaplanes of Group 43 of the Air Force. Early Thursday afternoon, a sudden change of wind He restarted the fire when it was close to being contained, forcing a rethink of the strategy.
The situation came to require the evacuation of a BRIF (Lubia, Soria) with smoke inhalation and minor burns, receiving medical attention at the Forward Command Post. All members are in good condition.
According to the direction of extinction, it is a high mountain fire which progresses between scree and slopes with slopes up to 90º, where it is not possible to use bulldozers or safely deploy ground patrols. Therefore, technicians apply technical fire to create barriers and stifle progress.
Throughout the week they have mobilized more than a hundred media outlets y More than 500 effective between Infocam, MITECO, and neighboring communities. At dusk, aerial resources are withdrawn and surveillance is maintained in accessible and safe areas.
The affected perimeter is estimated at around 1.300 hectares, after rapidly escalating from 734 counted in an initial count when the wind shifted. The fire was detected at 08:13 PM Sunday and the first hypotheses point to a possible rayo as origin.
On the political and social level, unions such as CSIF and CCOO and environmental organizations have questioned the availability of resources in the early stages. The Board responds that no air assets have been deactivated, that prevention accounts for more than 50% of the annual effort and that the focus is on not to put the population or the equipment at risk.
With a forecast of gusts of up to 30 km/h and the influence of the tail of the Hurricane Gabrielle and the climate change, CECOP is continuously assessing the situation. Roads and access points will remain under control while the operation prioritizes safety and perimeter tasks.
The landscape is still changing, but with Level 2, EMU and evacuations already activated, efforts are focused on maintaining the perimeters with technical fire, sustain air support and maintain the access cuts until a fire conditioned by the relief and the wind is stabilized.
