After a summer in which the number of forest fires remained low compared to other years, motivated by unstable weather with frequent rains until the second half of July, September breaks with the trend. A wave of five fires since last Sunday, three of them at night, involving arsonists who took advantage of the high temperatures and the lack of palpable rain these days to burn the mountain.
The main emphasis is on In Gudiña (Orense), where the flames began to spread rapidly since Monday noon in the parish of Pentes. At four in the afternoon, it had already devoured 50 hectares and, in the space of two hours, it multiplied until reaching a hundred hectares of affected land. Finally, after almost 12 hours and after midnight, the firefighters considered that the fire had stabilized, after burning, according to the latest estimates, 150 hectares.
The work of the emergency services, with a deployment of 13 agents, 24 brigades, 11 motor pumps, 3 shovels, 3 technicians, 10 helicopters and 8 planes; It made it possible to contain the spread of the fire until late at night, around 00:13 from Monday to Tuesday. However, the Pentes fire is still not extinguished, orAnother outbreak was detected a few minutes lateraround 12:17 a.m., in the parish of Barxa, also in the Orense municipality of A Gudiña.
A second fire which remains active and already affects approximately 90 hectares -although it is evolving favorably-, which implies more than 200 between the two outbreaks in the municipality of A Gudiña in just two days. In the case of BarxaThe Ministry of Rural Affairs reported that 16 officers, 30 brigades, 18 motor pumps, 2 excavators, 1 technician, 7 helicopters and 4 planes were deployed.
The province of Pontevedra has not emerged unscathed from the recurring fires of recent days. This Tuesday, an outbreak was recorded in Cercedo-Cotobade at 17:19, with at least 20 hectares burned (at the time of going to press), which joins that of the parish of Mourentán, belonging to the City Council of Arbo and, in this case, also originating at night. According to information from Medio Rural, it was around 23:41 on Sunday, which suggests, once again, a possible intention. In total, they were affected 22.7 hectares until it went out on Monday night.
Finally, another fire required the intervention of emergency services in the province of Orense. In this case, the flames were detected in the parish of Trez, in the Laza communeIn just under 24 hours, the fire was considered stabilized according to Medio Rural, but not before confirming that the fire had devoured 68 hectares of forest area.
Aiming “intentionally”
Also the municipality of La Coruña Porto do Son They spent Monday night watching the flames, which caused the neighbors to experience “difficult hours” due to their proximity to the houses in the parish of Caamaño. “There was a lot of wind and the fire was getting very close to the houses”, where the house of culture is located, the mayor, Luis Oujo, informed Ep. Although it was not necessary to evict anyone, he explained, “it was necessary to warn the neighbors so that they would be attentive.” In fact, three cars from a workshop that “was to be scrapped” on an esplanade burned, he indicated.
Regarding the causes of the fire, which occurred at 10:29 p.m., the mayor assured that “everything indicates that it was provoked” when it started at night, when there was no ventilation, on a very hot day with a strong wind. “I’m not sure, but everything suggests that they are provoked”, because “here, the same thing always happens”. “A member of the brigade told me that he had discovered that there were two or three outbreaks”, even if “they were not major outbreaks”. It was only after four in the morning that the firefighters They were able to consider the stabilized focuswhile it had already devastated around 15 hectares.
This wave of fires, outside the traditional season which coincides with the summer season, therefore represents the an increase in fires of the Community of the two outbreaks detected at the beginning of this month in the town hall of Crecente in Pontevedra, which involved the preventive eviction of the surrounding villages, and of the fire that affected the town hall of Orense d’Entrimo, in the parish of Venceáns, which spread from Portugal and also affected the Baixa Limia-Serra do Xurés Natural Park.
