PRIME Minister Pedro Sanchez will visit Vall d’Uixo in Castellon province on Monday, which has seen a forest fire rage over the weekend.
The blaze has destroyed over 4,300 hectares of land and 16,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, with others confined to their properties.
Firefighters on Sunday managed to contain the blaze which only saw its perimeter spread by six kilometres to around 43 kilometres.
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They are hopeful of stabilising the fire if the weather forecast does not change and humid conditions arrive.
300 firefighters and 14 aircraft battled the flames on Saturday with an extra 100 firemen and 11 aircraft drafted in on Sunday from the Valencian and national governments.
Valencian Emergencies Minister, Juan Carlos Valderrama, said: “We will have to wait until the fire is completely extinguished to make a proper assessment of forest hectares that have been affected.”
Speaking on Sunday, Valderrama praised ‘the important work that all the essential emergency services have been doing’ as well as the coordination between administrations and the cooperation from residents.
He said that 16 population centres had been evacuated along with lockdowns in some towns.
Out of the 16,000 people displaced, 700 have been housed in special centres offering food and shelter.
The Government delegate in the Valencian Community, Pilar Bernabe, told reporters on Sunday that the blaze was not started by natural causes.
“All the investigations are open, but what we can say is that, of course, the fire has not occurred by natural means,” said Bernabe.
“From there we will continue the investigations and, as soon as we have more information, we will be able to offer it,” she added.
A total of 43 people have been treated in health centres and hospìtals as a result of the fire.
The Valencian government said 19 remained hospitalised: four at La Plana Hospital and five at the Segorbe Integrated Health Centre.
The other ten are people with chronic illnesses who need oxygen and have been admitted to the La Magdalena Chronic and Long-Term Care Hospital.
A statement said: Given the serious situation caused by the fire, the government and its teams continue to mobilise to coordinate and provide direct assistance to the residents of the area.”
Roads that remain closed are the CV-200 in Ain; the CV-203 in Caudiel; the CV-205 in Tales; the CV-215 in l’Alcudia de Veo; the CV-219 in Eslida, and the CV-223 in Nules and the CV-2261 and the CV-230 in Vall d’Uixo.
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