The Minister of Justice and Interior, Elisa Núñez, of Vox, reported this Sunday around 7:30 p.m. that the temperatures recorded, the abrupt mountainous terrain and the large amount of forest mass are complicating the efforts to extinguish the fire that remains active and without control in the municipality of Tàrbena, in the interior of the Alicante region of La Marina Alta. The flames may also affect the areas of Parcent and Xalò.
The fire broke out around 12:30 p.m. in the Coll de Rates area, in the vicinity of Tàrbena, and eight aerial vehicles are working to control the flames. The Generalitat Emergencies have reported, around 7:00 p.m., that Murcia has been requested to incorporate a heliborne brigade.
Núñez has indicated that "different scattered settlements and a community that was in a certain area have been evicted" and the agreement with the Red Cross has been put in place for the installation of a shelter, in the Tàrbena culture center, so that people affected - whose number has not been specified - can spend the night in their facilities tonight. Some sources speak of more than a hundred people.
🔥📹Images from the day of hui a l'#IFTàrbena pic.twitter.com/DPFJ7kHz0S
— Emergències 112CV (@GVA112) April 14, 2024
The counselor has pointed out that the area affected by the fire has “a large amount of forest mass”, which she has attributed to the “negligence” of the previous government of the Generalitat, and which has led to the flames “spreading because it was a powder keg". “The temperatures and high amount of mass have meant that we have to act with all the means we have,” she added.
As reported by the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), temperatures in the fire area have reached 26 degrees, with a relative humidity of 30%.
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In the area there are 10 fire crews from the Alicante Provincial Council, 7 forestry units from the Generalitat, a fire prevention unit and members of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) deployed.
The intensity of the fire and the rapid spread of the flames through the forest mass have led to the establishment of situation 2 of the Special Fire Plan. This alert is activated when the evolution of the fire may seriously affect the population or non-forest property and makes the incorporation of extraordinary means foreseeable.
The Generalitat has also requested the activation of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) and two sealing planes, from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition (MITE), which have joined the extinction work.
Emergencies have also reported that, around 5:00 p.m., the Civil Traffic Guard has proceeded to cut off access to the fire area on the CV-715 highway, from Parcent to the north and from Bolulla to the south.
The Emergency Information and Coordination Center (CICU) has also transferred two SAMU ambulances and a Basic Life Service (BLS) to the site as a preventive measure.
Asked about the criticism for the lack of reinforcement units of forest firefighters of the Generalitat, Núñez reported that “on April 1, a call was made to 100% of the people who were part of the forest reinforcement units and in At this moment almost 90% of them are authorized.”
As he pointed out, "they are being incorporated progressively and we have started with the discontinuous permanent ones to follow the established legal procedure and throughout April those that remain pending will be incorporated."