The smoke covers everything intensely in the Leonese region of the Maragatería this Monday morning. In fact, almost all of the extensive province of León has dawned, ravaged by serious fires that finds no end. The clothes are impregnated with the intense burn smell and wearing a mask has become an obligation again, as if we had to the times of the pandemic.
Half a hundred people are concentrated on the outskirts of the town of Luyego de Somoza, capital of the municipality of the same name, to carry out a cleaning and a firewall that saves the town in case the fire arrives, which is already in front of the region come from Cabrera and El Bierzo. It is the same fire, actually two already merged, which razed a week ago the worldwide heritage of the medulla and that has continued to grow without control in the southwestern end of the Leon province. Now he has reached a new region, the historic Magateria, home of successful merchants and fishmakers and today as a good part of the rest of the territory, suffering the depopulation and abandonment of the rural world of the last decades.
“When your neighbor's beards see cut, put yours to soak,” says a summer who collaborates next to the neighbors in the debroce works. Luyego City Council summoned them early in the morning. After days of tension, it has to act to save the peoples. “It is better to act on time than regret,” says another neighbor.
Some neighbors point out how obvious it has been repeated in all areas throughout the peoples, the lack of means and information. “The neighbors are putting everything on their part, doing everything you can with the tool we have,” says a neighbor. “We are here to save the villages and their houses,” recognizing the angusta and fear that is lived in the middle of the smoke and knowing that the fire is approaching more every day.
The “good morning, to say something,” have already become the usual greeting. The most or less organized WhatsApp groups are fundamental to coordinate efforts. It is requested that they are not saturated with opinions and that they are effective as an organization tool since the nerves sometimes spread and cause their saturation. And a warning, “do not go to the fire if you have no idea”, to focus on defending the peoples and special areas. “The first is the safety of each one and then that the houses are not burned,” reiterate the most sensible voices of the neighborhood operation.
A little later from Luyego it is no longer possible to follow the way. A massive eviction order has arrived at the peoples of the region: Lucillo, Filiel, Chana de Somoza, Molinaferrera, Santa Marina de Somoza, Tabadillo, Santa Colomba de Somoza, Turienzo de los Caballeros, Andiñuela, Villar de Ciervos, Foncebadón, Manjarín and Valdemanzanas. But as in so many other sites, many of the neighbors have preferred to stay and have only evacuated old people and children or people with diseases.
The self -defense strategy has consisted of organizing brigades to create firewalls, in Luyego in particular, a pine -neighbor has been emphasized that if it burns the pineapples and multiply the spotlights. Farmers and farmers tractors do the work of several who with clearing clear the possible fire fuel. The rest throw from what they have been able to, “we are like grandparents, with what we have, the rakes, with hoes,” they explain.
They clear the weeds oriented by the information that comes from where the fire is, which this morning seemed somewhat more controlled on this front. The same is done in locations such as Villalibre de Somoza or further away as Valdespino de Somoza. The uncertainty of fire has no limited spaces after having burned the Leon province from north to south and from east to west.
From the unpredictability of the fire another neighbor, veraneante in the town, which this Sunday went to the town of Prada de la Sierra when the fire began to enter the region. At noon work was done but the fire did not advance, but in the afternoon-night he got out of control and totally threatened the town.
“Volunteers of the town and surrounding villages, is what there is,” says a neighbor while collecting cuts and stubble cut to clear the area. The neighborhood work against fire does not rest.
