A fire in Huesca affects about 8,000 hectares and forces 900 people to evacuate

The fire declared on Monday in Las Peñas de Riglos (Huesca) already affects some 8,000 hectares and has forced the evacuation of nearly 900 people from twelve towns and one campsite, as reported by the Government of Aragon. The Minister of Environment and Tourism of the Government of Aragon, Luis Biendicho, after a meeting at the Advanced Command Post in which the Vice President, Mar Vaquero, and the Minister of Finance and Interior, Roberto Bermúdez de Castro, participated electronically, reported that the day is being "complicated" and that a tongue of fire has reached the wall of the Protected Space of San Juan de la Peña and is jumping in that area.

For this reason, it has been announced that a new strategy is being drawn up for the defense of both the New and Old Monasteries of San Juan de la Peña and the town of Santa Cilia de Jaca, on the right flank of the fire that has given rise to a new sector, which is the one of most concern this Thursday. So far, the evacuated towns are Villalangua, Salinas de Jaca, Ena, Centenero, Arbués, Alastuey, Bailo, Larués, Botaya, Santa Cruz de la Serós, Binacua and Osia, in addition to a hundred people who were in the Pirineos camp, next to the N-240 highway, and the municipality of Bernués is on alert, the counselor said.

Biendicho has highlighted that after the protection of people, the priority is the safety of the operations that are working to put out the flames and the defense of the natural and cultural heritage, with the adoption of all measures to safeguard it. In the work of extinguishing this fire, he pointed out, the operational brigades of the Government of Aragon are working together with the means provided by other administrations, such as the Military Emergency Unit (UME), and 30 aerial means, the maximum that has been used this campaign in the community.

Biendicho has warned of the difficulties involved in the work to extinguish the flames, due to the orography, although he has trusted that the air attack will be effective in controlling the situation. For this reason, he has conveyed a message of tranquility, while emphasizing that it is the moment in which the greatest possible coordination, citizen collaboration and the "invaluable" work of farmers in the defense of the towns is needed, which in any case must also be coordinated through the extinction director and the Nature Protection Agents.

"Every day we have gone to one and we are going to continue and calmly trust in the work of all our teams," emphasized the counselor, who pointed out, about the arrest of a person for this fire, who learned the news after the Cecopi meeting and who for now does not know the causes of the fire, which are under investigation.