So far, over 3,800 hectares of land have been burned up in the two provinces in Spain’s autonomous communities of Valencia and Aragón, and the affected perimeter is more than 40 square kilometres.
As of this Monday March 27, the fire is being contained and the affected area has not grown. Although it is still not under control, the outlook for battling the flames over the coming days is said to be positive with the help of planes and helicopters.
The fire has not damaged any special protected natural sites, although it has affected lands belonging to the Natura 2000 Network, and about 1,500 of the nearly 2,000 people who had to be evacuated are still not allowed to return to their homes.
Spanish President Pedro Sánchez and the President of the Valencian Community, Ximo Puig, have visited the command post in Barracas to learn how the firefighting is progressing.
While forest fires happen all over Spain every year, mostly in summer, this one has come unusually early and has grown bigger than normal for this time of year as a result of the extreme temperatures we have been having recently.
What caused Spain’s first forest fire of 2023?
The first column of smoke was observed at noon on Thursday March 23 in the municipality of Villanueva de Viver, in the province of Castellón, an area with mountain routes and high risk of depopulation.
Specifically, the fire originated in a ravine with a large forest mass surrounded by woods and began to spread rapidly due to the high temperatures and the winds that were sweeping through the region.
The main hypotheses about the cause of the fire are a poorly managed and controlled agricultural fire or a spark flying off some farm machinery, according to José María Ángel, regional secretary of Security and Emergencies of the Generalitat Valenciana.
However, the investigations into the causes of the fire are still open, since this hypothesis is still being studied and therefore “cannot be established as the definitive cause of the fire”.
The towns of Montanejos, La Alquería de Montanejos, Arañuel, La Artejuela, Montán, Fuente La Reina, Los Calpes, Puebla de Arenoso, Los Cantos and La Monzona have all had to be evacuated. In Teruel, the municipality of Olba and several towns of San Agustín have also had to be evacuated as a preventive measure.
According to Red Cross estimates, almost 2,000 people were evacuated from the area and housed in shelters and sports centres, and the majority have still not been able to return home.
To be listed on the CAMPOSOL TODAY MAP please call +34 .
To be listed on the CONDADO TODAY MAP please call +34 .
Guidelines for submitting articles to Camposol Today
Hello, and thank you for choosing CamposolToday.com to publicise your organisation’s info or event.
Camposol Today is a website set up by Murcia Today specifically for residents of the urbanisation in Southwest Murcia, providing news and information on what’s happening in the local area, which is the largest English-speaking expat area in the Region of Murcia.
When submitting text to be included on Camposol Today, please abide by the following guidelines so we can upload your article as swiftly as possible:
Send an email to editor@camposoltoday.com or contact@murciatoday.com
Attach the information in a Word Document or Google Doc
Include all relevant points, including:
Who is the organisation running the event?
Where is it happening?
When?
How much does it cost?
Is it necessary to book beforehand, or can people just show up on the day?
…but try not to exceed 300 words
Also attach a photo to illustrate your article, no more than 100kb