Date Published: 24/03/2023

ARCHIVED - Almost 2,000 residents evacuated as cross-border wildfire engulfs eastern Spain

ARCHIVED ARTICLE -

At least a dozen municipalities in Castellón and Teruel have been evacuated due to the fire in Villanueva de Viver

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Almost 2,000 residents evacuated as cross-border wildfire engulfs eastern Spain

Hundreds of people are battling an extensive wildfire that broke out in Castellón in the Valencian Community and jumped across the border to Tereul in Aragón on Thursday March 24.

"It has been very voracious from the beginning," Valencian president Ximo Puig said on Friday, adding that high temperatures and ongoing drought are pushing the fire beyond control.

So far, around 2,000 people have been evacuated from 10 different districts and towns, most of whom fled their homes with little more than the clothes on their back. The most perilous locations, in the middle of the mountains with no escape route, were tackled as soon as the fire started and while some of the displaced residents have been moved to a hotel, most are bedding down in pavilions set up by the Red Cross.

El #incendio que afecta a #Castellón y #Teruel ya ha arrasado más de 1.000 hectáreas, siendo necesario realizar desalojos preventivos en varios municipios afectados.

En #Montán (Castellón), hemos procedido al desalojo de la residencia geriátrica. pic.twitter.com/xl1XmTwCEe
— Guardia Civil 🇪🇸 (@guardiacivil) March 24, 2023

"Intensive work is being done at the head of the fire, incorporating all aerial means to establish the control perimeter and the perception is that it is evolving favourably on the Teruel side but complicates interventions and control in Castellón," explained the General Director of Management Forestry of the Government of Aragon, Diego Bayona.

The problems are being caused by the lay of the land in the Valencia province, as the area is extremely difficult to access. Firefighters battled the blaze through the night but there is still much work to be done before it’s brought under control.

The forest fire has already scorched 3,000 hectares of land around a 30 kilometre perimeter. The inferno is split into three distinct sections but the one that is causing the most concern is now advancing towards Montanejos and Montán, potentially putting the Sierra de Espadán natural park in the path of the flames.

Images: Guardia Civil

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