The “good evolution” of the forest fire declared this past Friday in Viver and that spread to the Castellón municipality of Caudiel has led this Saturday afternoon to demobilize the section of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) that had been deployed in area. In addition, if the forecasts are fulfilled, it is expected that throughout the afternoon the fire can be considered controlled.
After 7:00 p.m. this Saturday, the director of the Special Plan Against the Risk of Forest Fires of the Valencian Community has requested the demobilization of the military corps, as reported by the Emergency Coordination Center of the Generalitat and the Provincial Consortium of Firefighters of Castellon.
In addition, situation 1 of the Special Plan Against the Risk of Forest Fires (PEIF) has been changed.
Alert level 1 is established when an emergency situation caused by one or several forest fires can seriously affect forest assets or slightly affect the population and assets of a non-forest nature, for the extinction of which it may be necessary to incorporate extraordinary means.
The fire has stabilized since this Saturday at 11:55 a.m. and, according to the first approximations, it has burned just over 100 hectares of land. Thus, without being controlled, it evolves “within the control lines” according to forecasts and extinction tasks.
In addition, around 11:00 am, the Advanced Command Post informed Adif that rail traffic, which was interrupted this Friday between the towns of Segorbe and Barracas, could now be re-established.
According to the latest update provided by the Emergency Coordination Center of the Generalitat Valenciana, three units of forest firefighters from the Generalitat, three fire trucks, two crews from the Provincial Firefighters Consortium of the Diputación, a crew from the Security Area Public and Emergencies of the Castelló City Council and a plane.
The emergency device, which has worked throughout last night, is directed by the Fire Department of the Castellón Provincial Council from the Advanced Command Post established in Caudiel, which was visited this morning by the ‘president’ of the Generalitat, Ximo Puig.
The head of the Consell has indicated that “everything indicates, according to the experience of the local area and what has been seen on previous occasions”, that the fire “may be caused by the sparks produced during the braking of a train along the track”.
He assessed that the current situation is “positive” and praised the “coordination work and prevention capacity that has made it possible for the fire to be stabilized in a few hours.”
And given the possibility that the fire was started by sparks produced during the braking of a train on the Sagunto-Teruel tracks, it has announced that the Generalitat “will ask Renfe and Adif for responsibilities.”
In similar terms, the president of the Castellón Provincial Council, José Martí, has stated that “we will have to talk to Adif and Renfe and we will have to do a job of cleaning the surroundings.”
Regarding the evolution of the fire, he stated: “Fortunately, we have good news and, after the critical moment that occurred yesterday when we arrived in the area, once again we must value the work and coordination of the Provincial Firefighters Consortium, the Generalitat Valenciana, the UME and the administrations because, once again, as happened in Xert, in the face of fires that could have a very negative evolution, it has been controlled in 24 hours.
“Here in Caudiel we are already talking about a clear stabilization of the fire and, if all goes well, this afternoon it can be considered controlled so that, in a couple of days, it can be considered extinguished,” he specified.
In any case, Martí has appealed for responsibility before the arrival of several days of the west that will dry the vegetation, which “increases the danger in the spread of fires.” “Complicated and very difficult days are coming. As of Wednesday, five days of west are expected, therefore, the responsibility of all citizens and society is very important », he added.
