Puig admits the “favorable evolution” of the Bejís fire but the wind and temperatures of the – Las Provincias

The president of the Generalitat, Ximo Puig, reported this Friday afternoon that the Bejís fire, with a perimeter of 135 kilometers, has already burned 20,000 hectares of mountains and forest mass, «more than 2,000 hectares in height ». Prudent optimism this Friday in Viver, where the Advanced Command Post (PMA) is located from which the work of extinguishing the Bejís fire is controlled, after a day in which the flames have not even entered the Calderona nor in the sanctuary of the Holy Cave, from which they have remained just 20 meters away. “The evolution is favourable”, assured the president. The war is long, but the battle could be being won. The stabilization of the Vall d’Ebo fire and the perimeter of the Olocau fire, caused in the early hours of Friday, calls for optimism. Almost 32,000 hectares have burned in total, 20,000 in Castellón alone, but the ominous shadow of the Bejís pyrocumulus could have the hours numbered. The conditional in journalism is not recommended at all, but the truth is that, in this matter of fighting fire, nothing is certain. Even President Puig spoke this Friday of “trying to consolidate” the day’s work before the increase in temperatures and the entry of the wind, which after spending all day blowing from the south could change to the west in the early hours of this Saturday. Finally, the president wanted to report on the current state of the fire in the Vall d’Ebo, “it has stabilized since this morning, although the necessary means for definitive extinction continue in place. There is still a risk of outbreaks.” 🔥The evolution of the #IFBejís is favorable at the moment, but maximum caution must be exercised for the weekend.👩‍🚒The 500 ground troops who have worked during the day will continue tonight. pic.twitter.com/BZXoygyNyu Emergències 112CV (@GVA112) August 19, 2022Although the flames have given a respite and are no longer advancing towards the Calderona, since before noon the closest focus to the municipality of Andilla has been reactivated, which has caused various aerial means to concentrate their efforts to try to prevent the fire from reaching the town. The flames also intensify this Friday afternoon in the municipalities of El Toro and Teresa. The forecast is that little by little the flow of wind from the northwest will weaken and deconfigure throughout the morning, to get to enter breezes from the east and southeast starting in the afternoon in the #IFBejís area. Forecast wind at various times. pic.twitter.com/5vXxUyJA2t AEMET_C. Valenciana (@AEMET_CValencia) August 19, 2022At the moment, Alcublas and Andilla are still confined, whose districts of Artaj, Pobleta and Oset are evicted. The inhabitants of Bejís, Sacañet, Teresa and Torás are still unable to return home. The mayors of these municipalities are holding meetings on the evolution of the fire during the morning. Bravo will go to the Advanced Command Post at 1:30 p.m. where he will attend to the media. In the Vall d’Ebo fire, this category has been decreed, with the withdrawal of units from the UME, which have moved to Bejís. Night flights with drones equipped with thermal cameras have determined the “hot zones” where to work from early in the morning. According to the latest figures, the fire has burned 12,150 hectares and has affected a perimeter of 100 kilometers between the Comtat and the Marina Alta. Despite the stabilization, sources from the Alicante Provincial Firefighters Consortium say they have no forecast of considering the fire under control this Friday. For its part, in the Bejís fire, the action of the fire during the early hours has been “very virulent” in the area of ​​the Cueva Santa sanctuary, where a large number of aerial and terrestrial means have had to be concentrated this morning. In much of the perimeter of the fire there is an active flame. The fire has remained “20 meters from the sanctuary”. A fire in the Sierra Calderona natural park has been added to the current alerts this morning. In the municipality of Olocau, in a place of “difficult access”, a fire has started that has caused the town to be confined “preventively”. This fire is already “stabilized”, as confirmed by the Olocau City Council. Another meeting will take place at 1:00 p.m., added Bravo, to determine the situation of the evicted villages around Andilla and the confinement of the municipalities affected by the Bejís disaster. The fire at Costur and Les Useres, extinguished The fire at Costur and Les Useres has already been extinguished. The Emergency Coordination Center has received notice from the Firefighters of the Castellón Provincial Council, who have definitively put out the fire at 09:30 am. The fire broke out last Sunday and was considered stabilized on Tuesday. According to the latest data, the fire burned at least 800 hectares of surface in a perimeter of about 21 kilometers, where ten aerial means and 150 troops worked this Monday to control the hot spots.