The situation of forest fires that affect the Leon Eastern Mountain, directly to the valleys of the Queen and Valdeón, the latter in the Picos de Europa National Park, continues to be serious, although the drop in temperatures and the increase in night humidity have allowed some containment of the fronts, which still continue to be runaled over approximately four kilometers, in the case of the case of Barniedo de la Reina.
Víctor Fernández, technical director of extinction of this fire, ensures that the perimeter of the fire “is more still” thanks to the weather conditions, although several kilometers of active front persist that require intense stabilization efforts. “We continue to have a lot of work ahead, now focused not only on the defense of the peoples, which are protected, but on the mountain, to stop the progress” runaway from the flames, he said.
Again, there has been the great complication that intense smoke prevented the effective work of aerial media throughout the day, which had to retire by not being able to precisely visualize the areas that need water discharge more.
Five villages with burned houses
Since its inception, the fire of the Queen's region, in a unique and very valuable environmental enclave, has come to burn homes of up to five different populations, confirmed the person in charge in the advanced command post. Meanwhile, although yesterday the totality of the towns of the municipality of Posada de Valdeón was evacuated, in a preventive way, Fernández ensures that the National Park Valley has been the least harmed, to a large extent, he said, to the local vegetation, that he stopped the progress of the fire. It should also be noted that improvised neighborhood brigades, with inhabitants who decided to stay, spent the hours of the afternoon and night of yesterday and from the dawn of today clearing sensitive areas near many villages.
As for other nuclei, the director of extinction believes that only Casasuertes and Valverde de la Sierra could be at risk during this day, although it depends on how the wind blows.
Against the actions of some farmers
On the other hand, there have been many problems with the profusion of extensive cattle in the queen's area that is being razed, along with many animals. A tragedy that has caused not a few important problems, according to the head of the extinction operation, visibly concerned. Fernández transmitted a message of regret “to all those affected, and especially the farmers, because we know that there have been many dead animals,” but censored that at various times there have been very serious risk situations for the farmers and also the operation due to the presence of shepherds and owners trying to rescue their cattle.
To the point he said, that “we have had to evacuate livestock ranchers and stop extinction operations because there were people on the mountain.” He even denounced that “there have been cases of counterflows initiated by individuals who have put at risk the safety of our teams”, so he expects police authorities to take overwhelming measures. Some measures, and even facts, which however the subdelegation of the Government in the province have not considered so relevant.
However, Fernández emphasized strongly asked “that the population trusts the operation and avoids entering the mountain without authorization, because the conditions of the fire are extremely dangerous.”
Fear and joint work to protect the hord forest and Riaño
Something similar affirms from another very worrying point in Riaño: the valuable natural enclave of the forest of hues. At night it was appreciated that it began to burn and the authorities confirm, for the moment, that the fire is still in high levels, without having reached the main forest mass.
Also in Riaño, the neighbors that the mayor, Senén Presa, who have created working and unbroken groups, half to protect hues but many more in enclaves that surround the first homes of Riaño, in the margins of the main national roads, the N-621 and N-625 have been “about 400”. It is, he says, to create among all “a fence” and add all neighborhood solidarity, including the great effort from the early morning of those who have starred in the intention of water and food.
“Very erratic and violent”
Although the weather forecast for the next few days points to a stabilization, Fernández warned that the fire has shown “very erratic and violent” behavior, so he insisted on the need for caution. “If conditions improve, it is likely that it does not advance towards more villages, but we have to wait to see how weathering evolves and trust that the rain comes,” he concluded. At the moment, it will not be so heat but a rain forecast in the area either is noted.
In the Extinction Operation of the Junta de Castilla y León in Land of the Leonesa Queen, which keeps cut the road that communicates with Cantabria through the port of San Glorio, media arrived from Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha or the Basque Country, among other points, in addition to the state such as the UME, the BRIF and HydroAvions.
