A firefighter worked on Sunday to extinguish a fire in Las Regueras, near Oviedo. Eloy Alonso (EFE)
The Government of Asturias will file the corresponding complaints in the next few hours after five people have been identified as presumed culprits and responsible for some of the fires registered in the community, which has seen more than 20,000 hectares of land burned in recent weeks, according to the first estimates.
The complaints could be expanded since the lines of investigation point to another 10 people as suspects.
This was confirmed by the President of the Principality of Asturias, Adrián Barbón, this Monday: "I only know the numbers, I do not know any other data, since it is a matter that is going to be prosecuted."
After insisting that Asturias is experiencing an "attack in which there is clearly an intention to cause harm", the head of the regional Executive has been resounding: "We want the full weight of the law to fall on them", he stated after the meeting of the advisory and management committee of the Emergency Civil Protection Plan for Forest Fires of the Principality of Asturias.
Regarding the identifications, Barbón congratulated the members of the fire investigation brigades (Bripas), the environmental agents and the Seprona of the Civil Guard.
"They have worked in a coordinated manner and have made important progress," praised the president.
A helicopter participated on Sunday in the tasks of extinguishing a fire in Las Regueras, in the vicinity of Oviedo. Eloy Alonso (EFE)
During the morning of this Monday, 41 forest fires were registered in Asturias, with six sources of "special difficulty", although that number is expected to decrease.
Of the total, six of the foci are active.
Among them, the one in Las Regueras, which has focused the attention of the Emergency Services in recent days, and has been under control since Sunday night.
The rest of the active fires are located in Allande, Illano, Valdés, Ribadesella and Teverga.
The drop in temperatures and the entry of air from the north loaded with high humidity has favored the control of some fires that throughout the weekend led the Principality to request the support of the Military Emergency Unit and the Reinforcement Brigades of Forest Fires (BRIF) of Asturias, Cantabria, León and Orense.
The arrival of some light rains starting this Monday afternoon will also help to put out the fires and will reduce the level of risk that today is "extreme" or "very high" in the 78 Asturian municipalities and that tomorrow will be " very high" in 12 councils in the southwest of the community and "high" in another 42.
Areas still smoking and at risk of fire in the forests of La Pereda, this Monday.
Paco Paredes (EFE)
The risk of forest fires being declared this Monday is "extreme" in 21 councils, nine fewer than yesterday, but it will remain "very high" in the remaining 57 municipalities, according to the indicator prepared daily by the General Directorate of Rural and Forest Infrastructures. .
The Asturian Government will announce this week, foreseeably on Friday, the three aid lines that it will implement to compensate for the damage caused by the fires, to reforest burned areas and to improve the self-defense of the towns.
The safety distance between the perimeter of the towns and the tree masses will be doubled, from 75 to 150 meters.
The specific fund of 4.5 million euros will be reinforced, which for the first time had been included this year in the regional budget for aid to town councils in fire prevention.
The old nursery will be modified and will be called the Corps of Environmental Agents, which will also be reinforced and equipped with more technological means to act as generic judicial police on the front line of the battle against fire.
The Principality's Forest Law will also be modified, something for which the socialist group in the Asturian Parliament will present a proposal as soon as the new General Meeting of the Principality is constituted after the elections on May 28.
